Real Love Is Just A Dream
by emerald-eyed vixen
Summary: Sakura is a fatally ill seventeen year old who can only find solitude in the virtual world of Ch'ien. Syaoran is a stubborn, cold-hearted teenager who thinks Ch'ien is nonsense....SS, ET; rating may change later on, pls R&R, kinda like .HackSign
1. Dreams are a Fool's Creation

Author's Note: Hey everybody!!! I LOVE fanfiction sooooooo much! I've been reading it for years now. I've finally decided to write some of my own. This is my first story, yippee! So don't be too hard on me, but please send lots of reviews!!! Even flames are better than nothing! I've decided I won't continue this story if I get less than 15 reviews, so please review!!!!!  
  
Syaoran: rolls his eyes. You sound pathetically desperate.  
  
Vixen: glares at him. Hey! Pouts. I don't sound that desperate.do I? Wait! What am I saying! I could just not put you in the story if you're going to say things like that! Grins. (Okay, so I'm lying. I have to put Syaoran in there, hehe. I love little wolf!)  
  
Syaoran: crosses his arms over his chest and grumbles under his breath; As if I'd want to be in your stupid story.  
  
Vixen: ignores him. So anyway, here's the complete summary for my little story here;  
  
Hey! Tomoyo here! This story is sooooo kawaii! It's about my best friend, Sakura! You see, two worlds exist in the year 3009. The real world, and the virtual world, also called K'un and Ch'ien. (*note: yes, I know those names are Chinese. They roughly mean 'Earth' and 'Heaven'. But the virtual world isn't Heaven; I just needed an opposing name to K'un.) In the virtual world, (Ch'ien) Sakura is a young woods guide with a username Cherry Blossom, guiding people through the Hagden Woods while she hunts for the Saotian Saber, a magical weapon she needs to wield her father's Double- bladed Ran Kodachi's. (Ch'ien is a virtual world that people can enter. It's basically an rpg type of thing, except you feel as if you're really there. It's all magical quests and things; think of Everquest and .Hack//Sign. Confusing, I know. Just send you questions in reviews and I'll try to get back to you). However, in the real world (K'un), she is a fatally ill seventeen-year old, forced to stay in bed as her condition worsens. The only escape she can find is in Ch'ien, where she can move around freely. On the other hand, Syaoran is a stubborn believer that Ch'ien is a world of nonsense, and refuses to go into it, that is, until his cousin Mei Lin convinces him to come in with her by blackmailing him. Want to know what else happens? Well, TOO BAD! Sorry, that was kinda mean. If you want to find out what happens, read Vixen's story and review! Bye!  
  
Vixen: On with the story! Oh yeah, right, um.I don't own any of the Card Captor Sakura characters. Pouts. But I really wish I did! Oh, yeah, and certain ideas from this story have been inspired by .Hack//Sign and Everquest. But I swear the other stuff is all mine!  
  
Real Love is Just a Dream, Chapter 1: Dreams are a Fool's Creation.  
  
The sound of a blade whistled through the air, surrounded by the perfect silence of the watchful oaks and the genteel birches. The sun slipped slowly behind the tall peaks of the distant Rada'Han Mountains that seemed to reach up and touch the heavens in the cloudless sky, now tinged with a wash of pastel colors in the shadow of the receding sun. In the fading light, two figures stood resolutely at the edge of an enormous, if somewhat menacing forest, one with long, dark hair and amethyst eyes like the color of the sky above them; and the other with auburn hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Another whistling blade was heard, followed by a loud clash, signaling that the sword had met its opponent.  
  
"Hey! I told you not to defend! I thought you trusted me!" a light, cherry voice tinged with disappointment scolded.  
  
"What else could I have done?!!! The blade was coming right for MY FACE!!!! I TOLD YOU TO AIM FOR THE TREE, NOT ME!" came the more defensive response.  
  
Cherry Blossom slipped her twin kodachi's into the matching leather scabbards resting on her hips, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"I was aiming for the tree!" she retorted, knowing full well that her friend was right. She sighed and sat down on the rotting log nearby. She pouted. "At least, I thought I was." she trailed off.  
  
Amethyst Blade sat down next to her friend, tucking her violet hair back behind her ear. She sighed as well, then forced a smile onto her face. "Don't worry Sakura, you'll get it eventually. Nobody else knows about the Saotian Saber, so we have plenty of time to train before we go and get it."  
  
"Tomoyo! You know we're not supposed to call each other by our real names out here! What if somebody heard us?!"  
  
"Relax. Nobody else is around. It's near dusk. Everybody will have signed off by now. Besides, it's not like they know our last names." Tomoyo stood up and whipped out a video camera from behind her back, putting the lens up down toward Sakura's face. She giggled. "Sakura, you look so KAWAII when you're frustrated!" she said, zooming in on Sakura's green eyes.  
  
Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo, you say that about EVERYTHING that I do" she noted, standing up.  
  
Tomoyo shrugged. "Well, it's true you know"  
  
Sakura picked up her green cloak that had been lying on the ground nearby, setting it comfortably around her shoulders. "Arigato, Tomoyo, for helping me train like this. But if I'm going to travel halfway across Ch'ien to fight a band of renowned outlaws just to get a crummy old saber, I think I'm going to need some help." She sighed, unconsciously fingering her sliver necklace with the Chinese pendant. She prayed that the money she would earn from the Saotian Saber and her father's Double-bladed Han Kodachi's in Ch'ien would be enough to pay for her surgery in the real world, K'un. If she didn't find a way to pay for the surgery, she would eventually fall into an irreversible coma, never to wake up again. She murmured a curse under her breath for the hundredth time that day that she'd been born with this stupid disease. She couldn't even get out of bed to enjoy life, for goodness sake! She missed going to school, seeing all her friends, even the little things like watching the cherry blossoms at the hanami, or rollerblading down the street to meet up with Tomoyo at some side-street café. She glanced up at the towering oaks shadowing her and Tomoyo. Now, all she could do was live in Ch'ien, the only world where she wasn't hindered by her disease. But, somehow, it just wasn't the same. She sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. She gripped the hilt of one of her kodachi's. 'Well,' she thought, 'at least I still have this world.' She turned back to Tomoyo, or, Amethyst Blade.  
  
"I'm tired, Tomoyo. I think I'll sign off for now, I need to catch some sleep."  
  
Tomoyo's smile disappeared. "Are you sure, Sakura?" she asked tentatively.  
  
Sakura forced a smile onto her face. "Of course I'm sure. Besides, I've kept you out here long enough. It's like you said, mostly everybody's signed off by now. I really need to catch some shut eye. I'll see you tomorrow, Tomoyo".  
  
Sakura concentrated on the portal in her mind that would return her to K'un, disappearing through a swirl of pink before Tomoyo could object.  
  
Tomoyo sighed. She was starting to sound like Sakura, sighing like this all the time. She shook her head sadly. A small tear went down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Sakura, I wish I could do more." her voice trailed off as she vanished in a cloud of purple.  
  
Sakura could distantly hear the relentless beeping of her heart monitor, and the small, dripping sound of her IV. She started to fell a slight tingling sensation as her mind returned to her body. Sakura gritted her teeth, preparing for the pain that she knew was coming. As the needle- like pain worsened, she suddenly felt her legs disappearing in a wave of pain and a dull ache worsening in her head.  
  
She opened her eyes, immediately lifting the covers on her bed to make sure that her legs were still there, something she did often. She knew her legs were there, still attached to her body, but she couldn't feel them, and she often woke up in a cold sweat, thinking that they no longer existed. One of the side effects of being paralyzed, she supposed. She lifted her hand to her head, feeling the dull headache that never went away. She glanced at the pink clock on her night stand, it was already 10:00 at night. She reached over and turned off the heart monitor, not caring that her father and brother would yell at her in the morning for doing it. She never could sleep with that irritating beeping noise. She slipped the Ch'ien collar off and set it down next to her bed, pulling the warm, fluffy pink covers over her head, and cried herself to sleep.  
  
Vixen: I'm really sorry, I know that was really short, but I didn't want to write too much in case nobody likes this story, in which case I'll just discontinue it. By the way, there is no magic in this story, but Kero, Yukito, and all of the CCS crew will still be in here, I promise! By the way, in your review, send me your suggestions for Mei Lin's and Eriol's Ch'ien usernames. You know, Sakura's is Cherry Blossom, Tomoyo's is Amethyst Blade, and Syaoran's is Little Wolf. (As if you didn't already know that). Anyway, I promise that if I get 15 reviews, I'll continue this story and make the next chapter at least twice this long, promise! So send me those reviews! I welcome all kinds of suggestions, if you have them, and even flames are welcome! Well, maybe not quite as welcome at regular reviews, but you get what I mean. Thanks, Ja Ne!  
  
Upcoming chapter; A Wolf's Persuasion. 


	2. A Wolf's Persuasion

Hey Everybody!!!! I'm sooooooooo sorry that it took me soooooo long to update. It's been two weeks! I never realized how little free time I have! Oh well, I'll try to update faster next time, I promise.  
Okay, so I didn't get all the reviews I wanted, but I did get a few and some people just emailed me instead, which is enough for me. So I'll keep my promise anyway, here's chapter 2; 'A Wolf's Persuasion.' It's at least twice as long as the last one. First, though, I have to get some stuff out of the way. I want to thank some of my reviewers;.  
  
Mystical Wolf- THANKIES! ( I'm sooo glad you enjoyed my story so much! I think I'll use your suggestion for Eriol's name, and I promise I'll get this updated as soon as possible. Sorry for the wait.  
  
Starlit914 - Thanks for the review, I'll keep that smile plastered on my face for as long as I can, hehe. Oh, and 'R+R' just means 'read and review'. I was just asking people to please read the story and then review it.  
  
Star () - Thanks for all of those suggestions! I loved your names for Mei Lin. Your support means so much to me, thanks for taking the time to review.  
  
Oh, and something I forgot to mention; in Ch'ien, there are three oracles (they'll be mentioned later) who choose every players' username based on their personality. I'll explain it in a later chapter. Every chapter I'll be asking for suggestions for usernames for certain characters, so just think of usernames that will reflect their innermost personality. Some of them are very vague, though.  
  
In case anyone has noticed, I'm having trouble with the html codes on this site, so any help would be VERY welcome. I can't seem to do specific actions like italics, etc. I know there are html codes for it, but I can't find them. Please help!  
  
Just for disclaimer purposes, if someone happens to have a pen name that is the same as one of my character's usernames, and they have a problem with it, just email me at lightwings456@hotmail.com and I'll change it. Oh, speaking of the disclaimer, I don't own any of the CCS characters, and some ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign and Everquest. Well, actually, just .Hack//Sign, but my friend thought I should put Everquest in there. I've actually never played it, so I wouldn't know if it's like my story at all! I guess I'll just have to trust her.. Email me if any of you guys have ideas that you want put in the story, I welcome plot ideas, believe me. Anyways, here's the second chapter of 'Real Love is Just a Dream'; *A Wolf's Persuasion.*  
  
Chapter 2; A Wolf's Persuasion;  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY INTERVIEW WAS CANCELLED??!!" the tall, unwittingly handsome nineteen year old with unruly hair yelled savagely at the cowering girl in front of him. "Well, I just thought, that, um.maybe." the girl's ruby-colored eyes looked up at Syaoran pleadingly.  
  
"Well what?!!" he growled.  
  
The black-haired girl straightened up, seeming to recover her courage again. Her long hair was pulled back into two buns at either side of her head, stretching down to her black halter top and scarlet mini-skirt, topped off by a pair of Chinese earrings and a black belt to match her long, black leather boots. She clenched her fists at her sides and looked directly into those deep, amber eyes, now dancing with anger. She glared fiercely at him, imitating the traditional Li glare that ran in his family.  
  
"I THOUGHT WE COULD GO OUT TO LUNCH!!! Is that too much to ask!? I am your fiancé, damn it! You never talk to me about anything! We never even go out! How are we supposed to get married if we don't even know each other!!??" she yelled.  
  
Syaoran leaned forward across the mahogany desk between them, settling his weight on his fists on the edge of it. He put his face directly in front of her and growled;  
  
"I wanted nothing to do with this marriage in the first place!!! This was all my mother's doing, and I never wanted to get married to you in the first place! That interview would have added Sutan Co. as a partner to our corporation! Do you know how much money was in that contract?! Do you know how hard it'll be to get them to reschedule?!" his voice slowly rose until he was screaming at his cousin.  
  
Mei Lin's courage slipped through her fingers once again as tears slid down her cheeks, smearing her mascara.  
  
Syaoran sighed and unclenched his fists. He never could stand to see a girl cry. He ran his hand through his chocolate brown hair and tried to mutter an apology,.  
  
"Mei Lin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lash out at you."  
  
Mei Lin abruptly lifted her head, a vicious glower on her usually cheery face. "WELL YOU DID!!! I just wanted to spend time with you.AND YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO MARRY ME!!" she screamed. The tears stopped as suddenly as they had started, and a suspicious glare replaced the look on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest.  
  
"Is there something wrong with me?! Or are you in love with someone else!?? Ah Ha! I bet that's it!!! I bet you've found some other girl and you think she's better than me! I'll show you! Where is the little slut, huh? HUH?!"  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes exasperatedly as Mei Lin continued to ramble on about the things she was going to do to his supposed 'other girlfriend'. The oracles hadn't named her Ruby Tora for nothing. (AN: 'tora' means 'tiger' in Japanese). He immediately corrected himself. 'What am I thinking? The oracles have no idea what they're talking about; it's all a stupid ploy to get people to join their stupid Ch'ien.' He mumbled, reminding himself of his opinion of the widely-used escape from reality.  
  
Ch'ien had been invented in the early 21st century, when a nuclear war destroyed much of the world, and much of the Earth's beauty had been compromised. People were forced to move into large bio domes to protect themselves from the harsh air, clogged with smoke and sulfur. A woman only known as Rayn created a virtual world that imitated the Earth the way it had been before, as well as adding quests and dungeons; palaces and prophets; and just about every figment of a person's imagination. There were many people who rarely came out of Ch'ien, but there were also many people who believed it to be a place of false hope, and that nothing good could come of using it. Syaoran was one of those people. Throughout his entire childhood, he'd refused countless invitations from classmates to join them in the computer-generated shadow of mankind's past. He'd only been inside of it once, in fact. All he remembered was being taken there when he was very little, by his mother, and meeting a beautiful woman in white. His mother had told him she was an Angel of the Light, whatever that meant. All he really remembered was the woman's eyes; pale, unblinking jasper eyes. (*AN: Jasper is a kind of mineral with a dark red and orange color to it, much like the flames of a fire.) Those eyes had haunted him for days after the incident. He still wasn't quite sure why he'd been brought to the Jasper woman, and every time he brought it up to his mother, Yelan Li, she promptly changed the subject.  
  
Syaoran shook his head, banishing the jasper woman and the memories that had been brought along with her out of his head, and instead concentrating on the black-haired girl in front of him who looked as if she was about to beat the crap out of his sofa.  
  
"Mei Lin, calm down. I'm not dating anyone else, I swear, alright?! Stop babbling, I need you to go and reschedule that meeting that YOU cancelled, remember?! And get it done quickly, I have to go downtown to meet with a client of mine." He admonished while stepping between his cousin and his very expensive leather couch.  
  
Mei Lin stopped glaring for a few seconds, letting a look of profound relief and happiness replace it. She spent a few moments catching her breath from yelling, before exclaiming, "I knew you weren't dating anyone! You would never do something like that to me, I knew I was right to have faith in you!" she chirped happily. Her eyes narrowed slightly and a triumphant grin slid across her face.  
  
"Does this mean we can go out to lunch now?" she pleaded.  
  
Syaoran scowled. "I never said anything about going out to lunch with you, and you know it" he replied curtly.  
  
Mei Lin pouted. "Ah, come on Syaoran, don't make me complain to Yelan again, I hate it when I have to blackmail you into coming" she said, trying her best to keep a straight face. Syaoran turned back. His eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Try me" The triumphant grin returned to her face.  
  
Syaoran cursed. His mother hated it when he neglected Mei Lin. After all, she was the one who had set it up. Normally, a threat like the one his cousin just made wouldn't affect him, except for the fact that his mother owned the LI Corporation, and was now deciding between passing the business down to him, or leaving it in the capable hands of his older sisters. If his mother thought he was neglecting his duties as heir to the Li clan by skirting his obligations to his fiancé, he'd never get the business.  
  
Syaoran reluctantly relented. "Fine, I'll go out to lunch with you, but I HAVE to get back in at least one hour, alright? That is unless you plan on canceling ALL of my appointments for the day," he said sarcastically.  
  
Mei Lin flashed him a signature tiger grin, clasping her hands behind her back. "I knew you'd say yes. I've got it all planned out; it's going to be great. There's this great place I know of in Ch'ien."  
  
Syaoran whirled on her, cutting her short. "no, No, NO! We're not going into Ch'ien, and that's final! Mei Lin," he warned, "you know how much I hate that place, there's no way I'm going in there just for lunch!"  
  
Mei Lin placed her hands on her hips, casting him a skeptical smile. "Since when has the great Syaoran Li, heir to the Li clan and the LI Corporation, accomplished swordsman of the Hiramekki style, been such a coward?!" she asked.  
  
Syaoran grunted. "I'm no coward. Ch'ien is just a false reality for the weak who haven't accepted that our old Earth is gone. Only the bio domes exist now, and anyone who can't accept that is a true coward."  
  
Mei Lin sighed exasperatedly. "Oh come on Syaoran! Just about everybody has a username these days. If I had to, I'd say you're the one whose living in the past! You just keep sticking to this dying Earth. Face reality, Syaoran, the world we live in now isn't what it used to be! Stop being so stubborn and at least see what Ch'ien is about. I can't believe how narrow- minded you're being!"  
  
Syaoran opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself. Who was he kidding? He was never going to convince his cousin, or most of humanity, for that matter, that Ch'ien was just an attempt to relive history. He sighed. He had been called a coward for most of his life because of his stubborn resistance to the glamour of the virtual world. He was sick of it. What harm could one hour do? He glanced skeptically at the two Ch'ien collars on Mei Lin's desk. If it would get Mei Lin to stop calling him a coward, maybe it was worth it.. After a few moments of thinking, Syaoran looked back up. Mei Lin was still standing resolutely in front of him, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed. Syaoran imitated her and narrowed his eyes.  
  
"If I go in this one time, will you stop bugging me about Ch'ien, and stop calling me a coward? Will you tell everyone else that I did go in, and that I still think it's a false hope to humanity?"  
  
Mei Lin's eyes lit up, but her solemn expression stayed when she saw the seriousness in Syaoran's face. She nodded. "Of course, I promise. Does that mean you'll do it?" she asked, hardly daring to hope.  
  
Syaoran glanced at the two collars on her desk. He crossed his arms over his hunter green shirt. "Fine, I'll go into Ch'ien"  
  
Mei Lin squealed happily. "I knew I could convince you! You'll see Syaoran, you'll like Ch'ien, just trust me."  
  
Syaoran grunted unbelievingly. He highly doubted that. He reluctantly watched as Mei Lin slipped over to her desk and swooped the two collars up into her arms. She trotted back over to him, holding out one of the shiny, unadorned silver collars. He glanced at her suspiciously before hesitantly taking the collar from her.  
  
"All you have to do is snap it around your neck, like this," she paused to demonstrate, sliding the collar around her neck and snapping it shut in the back, "then, to enter into Ch'ien, you must clear your mind, and picture the collar in your mind. Usually, when you concentrate on your collar, it automatically recognizes you and all you have to do is think of Ch'ien. All players start out in different areas. Since your collar is new, it doesn't know you, so you'll see three figures when you picture the collar in your mind. Those are the oracles; they'll give you a username and assign your collar to you. Then, just picture a little Italian café with the name 'La pajara', and that's where I'll meet you, okay?"  
  
Syaoran started to regret agreeing to this, but before he could object, Mei Lin had already sat onto the couch next to him, closed her eyes, and had been transported to the world he had always hated. He sighed. 'Well, here goes nothing' he thought, clearing his mind and picturing the shiny, steel collar around his neck. A void of darkness enveloped him, the feeling of falling through space dominating his mind. Finally, he thought he had spotted three figures in the distance. They slowly became clearer as he moved closer, even though he couldn't feel himself moving at all. He noticed that the three figures were women, all in matching robes, sitting on three large cushions floating in the air. They each opened their opalescent eyes and stared at him for what seemed like hours. Finally, the one in the middle closed her eyes again, her light, ethereal voice echoing around him.  
  
"This one is hereby and forever, the Little Wolf" Darkness enveloped Syaoran once again.  
  
......  
  
What'd y'all think? PLEASE REVIEW! I live off of your reviews! I told you this chapter would be a lot longer. Oh, yeah, here's my assignment for all of you reviewers for this chapter; I need usernames for these characters:  
Touya  
Yukito  
Naoko  
Chiharu  
Also, if somebody could email me or review me the names of Syaoran's older sisters, I'd be eternally grateful. I can never remember their names!  
So, that's it for Chapter 2. I'll try to update at least once a week, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for your support, Ja Ne!  
  
Upcoming chapter; Hanami Of My Heart. 


	3. Hanami of My Heart

Author's Note:  
  
I'm soooooooo sorry!!!! I feel so bad, I know that when I read fan fiction I expect people to update at least every week, and I haven't updated in three weeks!!! It's been chaos over here, but I finally got my computer back and online again!!! Oh, and to answer a few reader's questions; yes, I live in California. I live in the Stevenson Ranch area, but luckily they contained the fire, so it's not on the news anymore. Anyway, Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad there are at least a few people still following this story, even though I'm taking forever to update, hehe. I just want to thank a few specific people...  
  
Star () - Thankies! Thanks so much for your constant support and reviews! And don't worry; nothing got burned, well, except for the hills behind us anyway. Thank you soooo much for Syaoran's sister's name and for adding the website for me. Where can I find the website? And I loved your name for Chiharu, so I'm gonna use it. Thanks again for all three of your reviews; you don't know how much they mean to me!  
  
Sakurapetalsntears - Thanks for your review! I'm glad you love my fic so much. Yeah, I did get a lot of my inspiration for this story from .Hack//Sign. Poor Sakura! *sniff sniff* Don't worry though; a certain little wolf will cheer her up!  
  
Mystical Wolf- Thanks for reviewing again! Hehe, don't worry, you don't sound like a teacher. I love hearing feedback from my readers; it helps me become a better author! Also, I love your name for Yukito. I'm going to try to use it, or at least part of it. I got soooooo many names for Yukito, and they all involved rabbits! Lol, I never even knew his name meant that. Thanks!  
  
Transcendant Pig- Thanks so much for reviewing, and for all the great names! I especially liked your suggestions for Yukito and Naoko! Don't worry; I'll at least use one!  
  
Kitten at Heart- Yep! I live in California, in Stevenson Ranch to be exact. Thanks so much for asking. We're all fine though, we just have to look at some charred mountains for the next couple of months, lol.  
  
Hikaru Ayumi- HEHE. I was wondering when someone was finally going to tell me that the story was confusing, lol. Yeah, I know it's hard to understand, sorry about that. In the next couple of chapters, the story will hopefully become a little clearer. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or send them in a review. Thanks for your comments!  
  
I'm sooooooooo happy! I haven't gotten one flame since my story has been posted! YAY! I have such great reviewers, too. You guys are all so supportive! I live off of the reviews! Anyway, here's the disclaimer;  
  
I don't own any of the CCS characters (even though I really wish I did) and certain ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign. ((I stopped putting Everquest since I don't even know what the stupid thing is!))  
  
Here's Chapter 3 of Real Love is Just a Dream:  
  
Hanami of My Heart .....................  
  
Sakura ran as fast as she could, but it was no use. She hiked up her cotton skirts, letting her legs stretch as far as they could as she loped across the indeterminable landscape, desperately trying to reach the figure just out of her reach. She only had one thought in mind; she had to reach him. If she didn't, something bad would happen. What that was, she had no idea, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to let it pass. She fruitlessly searched within herself for an extra burst of strength, but she had nothing left. The sound of her footsteps pounded relentlessly within her head, an ever-increasing reminder of her failing endurance. She shook her head to banish the negative thoughts rushing through her head. She had to reach him, that was all that mattered.  
  
Suddenly, her legs gave out, and she crumpled to the ground. She gasped as a small sob escaped her throat. No, this couldn't be happening, not now, not when she was just starting to catch up. She groped around for something to use for leverage to pull herself up, but there was nothing except the barren wasteland around her. She desperately pushed all the panicked thoughts from her mind, and looked back up; searching for a sign of the vague figure that haunted her.  
  
She spotted him in the distance, just out of reach, just like he had every night. She clenched her teeth in frustration. She was beginning to think that she would never reach him, that she would be stuck chasing him for the rest of her life.  
  
No, she thought. I can't let myself give up. I will reach him, I will!  
  
Sakura pushed herself up on her elbows, slowly dragging herself in the direction of the figure. But when she looked up to make sure he hadn't disappeared, as he tended to do some nights, she caught him looking at her.  
  
That's odd, she thought. He's never done that before.  
  
The figure had stopped and turned around to face her, and was looking at her with a vague expression. His face was blurred and faded, but his amber eyes shone with bright intensity, as if he wanted so badly to react, to talk to her, to do anything but turn back around and keep walking, waiting for her to catch up. Finally, after they had gazed into each other's eyes for eternity, he turned around and continued on his way, walking with an easy gait, as if he was walking only for the sake of walking. A small tear slipped down Sakura's cheek. She opened her mouth to yell, to call him back, but nothing came.  
  
No, no, no, she thought, not again, not again....  
  
"SAKURA!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sakura woke with a jolt. She launched forward, her hands clenched tightly around her pink bed covers. She glanced around wildly, searching for the source of her panic. Her eyes finally settled on a tall boy standing next to her bed with his arms crossed against his chest, glaring down at her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
"Touya! What the heck?! You scared me half to death! You could have just shaken me, you know." she grumbled angrily.  
  
Touya leaned forward angrily, motioning toward the silent heart monitor next to her bed.  
  
"Why did you turn off your monitor?!!! Do you want to give me and Dad a heart attack!? I thought you were DEAD! What if something had happened while you were asleep?! What if you're heart stopped?! Dad and I wouldn't know until the next morning, you'd have been dead by then!" he yelled furiously.  
  
Sakura sighed. She knew this was coming. Touya hated it when she turned off her monitor. Even worse, she knew that it scared him to death, and that was the last thing she wanted. But she could never sleep with the constant beeping in her ear, reminding her of her mortality. She hated the maze of machines, tubes, and needles that surrounded her, like a blanket slowly suffocating the life out of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, trying to readjust to the harsh reality of her life.  
  
"I'm sorry Touya. I didn't mean to scare you again, I really didn't. It's just that I can't sleep with that thing on, you know that."  
  
Touya grunted. "So you're willing to sacrifice your life for a good night's sleep?!"  
  
Sakura rolled her eyes exasperatedly. It was no use; there was no reasoning with him. She gazed longingly at her creamy white pillow lying under her. She wanted so badly to just slip back under the security and warmth of her soft pink blanket, back into the serenity of her dream world, where her legs still worked, where she still went to high school, where there were no yelling brothers, heart monitors, or responsibilities. She sighed one last time what could have been before throwing off the covers and pushing herself up into a straight sitting position as she reached over and reluctantly pushed the small red button, flinching unconsciously as the first loud beep echoed through her head. She turned back to Touya.  
  
"Happy?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
Touya's frown remained, but his eyes pleaded with her to cooperate. His forehead was creased with worry. Ever since he'd found out about her illness, those creases had been permanently attached to his face, making him seem older by the day. Sakura hated what her illness was doing to him, but no matter what she did, she could never get him to forget about it.  
  
"Touya, I'm fine! I swear, I'm really fine, okay? I'm not going anywhere for a long time, I promise you that." She said sincerely.  
  
Touya just gave her one last skeptical look before turning back and heading for the door. As soon as he turned the doorknob, a huge gray and white mass launched through the air and collided with Touya's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.  
  
"Kero!" Sakura exclaimed happily, opening her arms wide to signal Kero to jump up on the bed with her.  
  
"Kero!" Touya yelled angrily, trying desperately to get the huge ball of fluff off of him.  
  
Kero clumsily hopped off of Touya and leapt up onto the bed, eagerly nuzzling Sakura. Sakura giggled happily. If anyone could cheer her up, it was Kero, her birthday present from her sister-in-law. (AN: There is no magic in this story, so Kero is Sakura's dog. Don't worry though; all the same characters are in here.) Kero was a huge mutt that was constantly infuriating Touya or eating the Kinomoto's out of house and home. He was Sakura's constant companion, with the exception of Tomoyo.  
  
Touya picked himself off the floor, angrily brushing dog hair off of his shirt. Before he could say anything more, Meriko floated into the room, a cheerful smile on her face, and threw her arms around Touya's neck, kissing him quickly on the cheek. She turned back to Sakura and Kero.  
  
"Good Morning!" she chirped.  
  
Sakura returned her sister-in-law's smile and answered her morning greeting. "Good morning Meriko. Where's Ayna?"  
  
Meriko absentmindedly picked dog hair off of Touya's shirt. "Oh, she's downstairs with Fujitaka. I just came up here to see how many pancakes you wanted." She replied.  
  
Sakura stretched and yawned before answering. "That's okay; I'll just pick something up in Ch'ien. Tell dad that I'll be there for a while longer today, Tomoyo wanted me to meet with her after school, so I'll probably just stay all day long, if that's okay."  
  
Meriko nodded and lead Touya out of the room before he could object. Touya hated Ch'ien, he thought it was nonsense. But he still went occasionally to keep her company. Actually, it was more like to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. No wonder the oracles called him the 'Knighted Guardian'. He treated her like a glass statue. The only person he was more protective of was her three year old niece, Ayna. She was the most adorable little girl, and often kept Sakura company during the long days when she was restricted to her bed. Sakura loved her little niece, just as much as she loved her sister-in-law, Meriko. Sometimes, though, she thought Meriko was just a little too cheerful. Everyone told her that she used to be just like that, but that had changed.  
  
Sakura sighed. No use thinking about that, she thought. She grabbed the Ch'ien collar off of her nightstand, slipping another, smaller collar out of her dresser drawer. If she wanted to get into Ch'ien, she'd have to do it before Touya had another chance to come up and object. She slipped Kero's collar around his neck, snapping the catch shut and giving her faithful companion a last pat before slipping her own collar around her neck and picturing her beautiful Hagden Woods in her mind...  
  
(AN: pets can go into Ch'ien, they just don't have screen names or anything. Also, in Ch'ien, people can be whoever they want to be, and look however they want to look. So, a blond haired, green eyed American could be a black-haired, brown eyed Chinese girl in a suit of armor. Sakura and co. happen to look the same, but other characters might not be who they seem..)  
  
.......................  
  
A few hours later..  
  
Sakura searched around in her leather pack for her money pouch. It was already noon and she was breathing hard from practicing her swordplay. She slipped her sword back into its scabbard, wiping the sweat from her brow, glancing up at the hot sun directly above. She was starving. When she'd gotten into Ch'ien, she'd completely forgotten about eating breakfast, and gotten caught up in her workout. She whistled loudly, watching Kero turn from his mission of chasing the birds from the nearby field to bound toward her.  
  
Because of the heat, her usual traveler customers were absent, so she abandoned her woods guide duties to practice in one of her secret clearings. Usually on weekdays, she'd work guiding travelers and new players through the maze of the Hagden Woods, but today Halma (her boss) had given her the day off. When Sakura had first been diagnosed, she'd had nothing to do while she spent her days in hospital beds and various clinics. So, she'd worked on schoolwork, so much in fact, that she had graduated high school early. That was before Tomoyo had discovered that in Ch'ien, Sakura's disease had no effect. Now, while Tomoyo and her other friends were in school, Sakura spent her days in Ch'ien's villages and mountains.  
  
Sakura's rumbling stomach reminded her of what she'd been looking for. As Kero bounded into the clearing, Sakura searched vainly for the small silver coins nestled deeply in her bag.  
  
"Ah Ha!" Sakura exclaimed, proudly displaying the pouch of silver and copper coins in front of Kero's face. "I knew I would find them!" she grinned.  
  
"Find what?" asked a feminine voice from behind her.  
  
Sakura jumped. She turned around to find her blond-haired, blue-eyed boss standing in front of her.  
  
"Halma! You scared me!" she admonished.  
  
Halma grinned as she flipped her waist-length braid over her shoulder and brushed a leaf off of her sky blue tunic. "Doesn't surprise me, you're so easy to scare!" she teased. She lifted a finger pointedly. "And you know better than to call me Halma, Cherry Blossom." She scolded playfully.  
  
Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "There's no one around, we're in the middle of the woods, in case you haven't noticed."  
  
Halma ignored her. "So, what'd you find?"  
  
"Oh, I just found my money pouch. Kero and I were headed down to the village to buy some lunch. Wanna join us? My treat?" Sakura coaxed.  
  
Halma laughed. "Why is it that you always have to tempt me with food?"  
  
Sakura smiled. "Because that's all that works on you!"  
  
Halma shook her head. "Alright, alright. So I'm a pig, do you have a problem buying lunch for a pig?"  
  
Sakura slung her pack over her shoulder. "I've never minded before."  
  
Halma snorted before falling in step next to Sakura and Kero. "So, where to?"  
  
Sakura shrugged. "I thought we'd just find a good fruit stand and buy some bread and cheese to eat out on the glades."  
  
Halma nodded. "Sounds good to me. So, are you and Amethyst Blade going to the Hanami Festival next week?"  
  
Sakura nodded emphatically. "Of course, I love the Hanami Festival. I'm not sure if Tomoyo's going, but I will for sure" (AN: Hanami is a festival they have in Japan where people come out to watch the cherry blossoms)  
  
Halma quickened her step to catch up with Sakura's long strides as they headed out into the bright sunlight and down the hillside toward the bustling Souta village. "What about Eriol? Is he coming with Tomoyo?"  
  
Sakura grinned. "Now who's forgetting to call people by their screen names?" she laughed. "Yeah, I assume that Clow Shadow and Amethyst Blade would be going together. What about you and SwordSoul?"  
  
Halma blushed. "What makes you think I'd be going with Kiran?"  
  
Sakura smiled suspiciously. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you two have been eyeing each other since you met him in the village!"  
  
Halma smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but abruptly stopped. Her smile slipped into a sympathetic frown. "Oh, Sakura, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."  
  
Sakura held her hand up and interrupted her. "Please don't worry about my social life, the last thing I need right now is another person feeling sorry for me. I'd really rather hear about you and Kiran."  
  
Halma nodded. "Alright." She smiled again. "Not another word, I promise."  
  
Sakura had decided not to attempt any type of a social life with a guy. She figured it was pointless, and couldn't be convinced otherwise, no matter how many times her friends had tried.  
  
Sakura and Halma continued their lighthearted discussion with Kero trotting at their heels as they approached the outskirts of Souta Village.  
  
Souta Village was a bustling little village across a group of rolling hills south of the enormous Hagden Woods. The people there enjoyed simplicity, with small adobe homes and wood cabins, farming plots and marketplaces, cafés and hot springs. Somehow, this small village had managed to escape the towering resorts and lavish palaces of the surrounding kingdoms. Sakura and her friends tended to stick to this area in Ch'ien, mainly because of its rare privacy and serenity.  
  
Sakura loved it here. She loved the cute little shops, the open fields, and the friendly people. She didn't need to visit some large city with a huge castle surrounded by insidious mountains to enjoy it here.  
  
'But,' she thought, 'that will all change once I'm leave to find the Saotian Saber.'  
  
Sakura banished the thought from her mind as she basked in the midday sunlight and the lighthearted conversation that Halma continued.  
  
............................... Syaoran's POV:  
  
Syaoran groaned as he sat up. He blinked his eyes a few times to clear his vision, glancing around at his surroundings. He was sitting in a large bed in a small, simple adobe room with a tile floor. He glanced down at himself. He didn't seem to be hurt, but he was surprised to find that his green shirt and khaki pants had been traded for a pair of tan trousers, a light green tunic and a silver brocade belt with a leather pouch attached. He opened the pouch to reveal a small pile of silver, gold, and copper coins.* A dark, forest green traveling cloak was hung on a hook next to the bed. Syaoran shook his head.  
  
'That's the last time I let Mei Lin convince me to do anything' he thought angrily.  
  
Syaoran slipped off the covers and slung the cloak on over his shoulders. He was surprised, and a little pleased, to find a simple dagger hidden on the inside of the cloak. He grabbed the black boots in the corner and shoved them on before opening the door.  
  
A blast of appetizing aromas attacked his nostrils as he walked through the doorway. A small girl was leaning over a pot of something that smelled a lot like stew with her back to him when he cleared his throat to get her attention.  
  
The girl jumped when she turned around. He was used to it, most people said he had an intimidating first appearance, and that was how he liked it.  
  
Syaoran cleared his throat again as the girl continued to stare wide-eyed at him. She blinked and immediately looked down at the ground, blushing profusely.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I'm Star Blossom." She said, looking back up expectantly.  
  
Syaoran wouldn't give her the satisfaction of his name. "Where am I?"  
  
Star Blossom looked slightly disappointed, but quickly recovered. "You're in Souta Village, in the Pri Nuta Region. My brother SwordSoul brought you in."  
  
"Where can I find your brother?" he asked, deciding not to ask what the hell a 'souta' village or a 'pri nuta' region was.  
  
Star Blossom motioned toward the front door. "He's outside in the front, carving."  
  
Syaoran nodded curtly before stepping out the front door. As he stepped out into the fresh air, he was amazed at the beautiful view filling his vision. Huge, snow-peaked mountains dotted the horizon, surrounded by towering forests and rolling glades. The sky was a perfect blue with puffy white clouds crawling across it. He hadn't seen a scene this beautiful in a long time. The village surrounding the house was bustling with activity. People of all shapes and sizes and colors traveled around the village, shopping, talking, laughing, playing, and enjoying the beauty of the summer day. Syaoran's observations were interrupted when he heard a loud cough next to him. He turned to find a man he assumed was SwordSoul carving on a stone bench in front of the simple, snug little cottage. The man set his carving, which was starting to look like a woman with a braid, next to him on the bench and stood up.  
  
"I assume you're SwordSoul."  
  
The man smiled. "That's me. Though, I'd really prefer if you'd call me Kiran."  
  
Syaoran shrugged. If this man wanted his name given to strangers, that was his business.  
  
Kiran looked pointedly at Syaoran. "And, your name is?"  
  
Syaoran was about to tell him it was none of his business, when he remembered the darkness, the three figures, and the piercing eyes.  
  
Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest calmly. "I'm Little Wolf." He replied.  
  
.........................  
  
End of Chapter 3: Hanami of My Heart  
  
So, did ya like it? Technically, this chapter was supposed to end after I finished writing about Sakura, but I figured since you guys have been so patient for the last week; I'd add part of chapter four.  
  
Please, Please, Please, Please Review!!!! I need your reviews! And please feel free to email me any of your questions at lightwings456@hotmail.com, because I know how confusing this story is, hehe. Here's your assignment for this chapter:  
I need screen names for;  
  
Halma  
Meriko  
I also need the names of Syaoran's three other sisters. Star() already told me about Feimei, I just need the other three, but I don't need screen names for them yet.  
Here's the extra assignment:  
In the next chapter, I'll introduce an important character who will bring Sakura and Syaoran together. It's a new character, so you won't know who it is. So, do you think it should be; a bandit who ends up allying with Sakura and co. a prince who Rita will fall in love with or a beautiful priestess who's loyalties are a mystery..  
  
I already have these characters written, and they'll all be in the story, I just need you to help me decide who will bring them together. It's a majority vote, so whichever one gets the most votes, or I'll decide if it's a tie. I'll try to update soon. See you all next chapter!  
  
Chapter 4: A Fated Crossroad 


	4. Fated Crossroad

Author's Note:  
  
Hello again, everyone! I'm going to be gone this weekend on a trip to San Francisco, so I won't be able to update. So I'm using my day off on Veterans Day to update on chapter 4; b A Fated Crossroad/b.  
  
Special thanks to the following reviewers;  
  
uStar Cherry:/u THANK SO MUCH!!! I loved your site! And now I finally can use bold, italics, and underlining, lol. BTW: do you know how to do a tab? Thanks so much for your constant reviews and support, you're my number one reviewer! I'm so glad you like my story so much, I can't say thank you enough!  
  
uMystical Wolf:/u Thanks! I really liked the last chapter too, it actually started to have the beginnings of a plot, lol. Thanks for being so consistent with reviews, it means a lot.  
  
uSakurapetalsntears:/u Thanks for all of his sisters' names, now I actually know them all! Yay!  
  
uHikaru Ayumi:/u I loved your name for Halma so much that I'm gonna use it! Thanks for the suggestions on Syaoran's sister's screenames. I hadn't even thought of anything for them, and now I've got a ton of ideas. I'll probably use yours for Fanren and Feimei.  
  
uStargirl-rebels:/u I loved your name for Meriko! Thanks so much, I really wasn't sure what to use for such a cheerful person, lol. Thanks sooooooo much for all the praise! I blove/b it when people enjoy my stories so much! And, yes, you're isuch/i a decisive person, lol.  
  
uAnimeObsessionFantasy:/u Yep!^^ Just read to see what happens when they do..  
  
uFa:/u Thanks for Syaoran's sister's name. Don't worry about having the other two, I got them from other people. I'm glad my story is so kawaii!  
  
uchibi cherry blossom:/u Of course your opinion matters! All my reader's opinion's matter to me! I love hearing feedback from my reviewers, especially if it helps me to become a better author. Thanks for your review!  
  
uShamankinggirll:/u I will! I will! I will!  
  
uanjuliet:/u Thanks! I love stories like this too, lol ^^. I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Thanks for all the reviews, everyone. Apparently this chapter was a heck of a lot more popular than the others, lol. However, nobody sent in suggestions for the extra assignment! Oh well, I already was pretty much decided on what was going to happen, so I suppose it doesn't change anything. Thanks so much with all your help with Syaoran's sisters and the screenames. And an extra special thanks to Star Cherry for all her help with the fonts.  
  
BTW: Did you guys like the characters Halma and Kiran. I'm still deciding how important they'll be later on. And did anybody notice what Kiran was carving when Syaoran came outside? Here's a hint; the carving looked like it had a braid. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CCS characters and certain ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign.  
  
Well, on with the story. Here's Chapter 4 of bReal Love is Just a Dream/b; iFated Crossroad/i  
  
...............Syaoran's POV  
  
"Little Wolf, huh? That's an odd one. Most people have more direct screenames. Any idea why the oracles went with that one?" Kiran asked, brushing wood chips off of his shirt and trousers.  
  
Syaoran glared. "No" he replied curtly.  
  
Kiran glanced at him skeptically before returning to his spot on the bench. "Well aren't you polite" he responded sarcastically, clearing a spot next to him and motioning for Syaoran to sit.  
  
Syaoran ignored Kiran's offer and remained standing. "What was I doing in that bed in there?" he asked gruffly, his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
Kiran grabbed a simple brush from a wicker basket next to the bench and started to clear away his carving materials. "I found you on lying on the ground, unconscious, in the glade on the outskirts of town. You're lucky that Bethym needed some exercise, or else I never would have found you, and you'd probably be sitting in a ditch somewhere with no money, courtesy of the bandits that hang around the hills outside of the village."  
  
Syaoran raised a brow, a million questions flooding through his mind. "Bethym?"  
  
Kiran waved a hand absentmindedly toward a squat, wooden building nearby that looked to be some type of stable. "My stallion." He answered simply.  
  
"Where the hell am I?" Syaoran asked, still glancing around, taking in his strange surroundings.  
  
"Souta village, the Pri Nuta Region" Kiran answered in a practiced voice, as if he'd given this speech many times.  
  
"Is that supposed to tell me anything?" Syaoran growled.  
  
Kiran dropped the brush back into the basket and looked back up into Syaoran's amber eyes. "I don't know, does it?"  
  
Syaoran's eyes narrowed. He was getting tired of this guy's riddles. He was thinking of just shoving his fist in this guy's face and trying his luck at wandering around town. But he knew that would be impossible. Despite the fact that Souta village was called a 'village', he could tell that he could very easily get lost among the crowds of people who all seemed to know where they were going, unlike him. He sighed tiredly, letting his glare disappear on his face and give way to a look of utter exhaustion and confusion. He'd known this was a bad idea from the start. Leave it to Mei Lin to get him lost in an imaginary world.  
  
Syaoran shrugged. He could tell anger and intimidation wouldn't work on this guy, so he settled for a humble approach. "I have no idea. This is my first time in Ch'ien, or, at least, my first time in a while. I was supposed to meet my cousin here, but I think that may be harder than she thought." He replied, finally taking a seat next to Kiran.  
  
Kiran nodded, a slight look of approval in his eyes. He leaned back against the wall of the cottage. He didn't look surprised that it was Syaoran's first time, as Syao had thought he would. Instead, he nodded again knowingly. "I figured as much." Kiran grabbed a stick and started drawing in the dirt. He drew a large square. "Pretend that this is all of Ch'ien" he said. He drew two large blobs that attached to each side of the square. "This," he pointed to the pool on the right, "is the Nebiros Ocean". He pointed to the pool on the left. "And this is the Bashura Ocean" (*AN-I'll scan a map of Ch'ien into my computer later. If you want a copy, just email me and I'll email it to you). Kiran pointed to the isthmus of land in between the pools. "Here," he said, "is the Rada' Han Mountains." Kiran lifted his stick toward the snow-capped peaks along the horizon. "Or, in other words, those towering peaks." Kiran returned to the map, drawing a collection of trees south of the mountain range and a small dot next to it. "These trees represent the Hagden Woods, and the dot is Souta village." Kiran motioned toward the menacing forest on the hill overlooking the village. "Those are the Hagden Woods."  
  
Syaoran glanced at the map in the dirt and back at the towering oaks standing watch over the town. Most of what Kiran had just said was gibberish, but he was starting to get an idea of where he was, in regards to Ch'ien. But that still didn't help him.  
  
"Do you know of a place called 'La Pajara'?" he asked.  
  
Kiran shook his head and was about to speak when the young girl that Syaoran had seen before peeked her head out of the window. She nodded her head enthusiastically, causing her brown braids to bounce up and down on her shoulders.  
  
"I know that place! Halma took me there on my birthday! It was a really nice café, with a cute little band that played in the plaza outside!" she said, smiling at the memory.  
  
Syaoran adjusted his position on the bench so that he was facing Star Blossom. "So, where is this café? Is it nearby?"  
  
Star Blossom's smile faded, and a look of deep concentration replaced it. She looked up at the sky, as if the puffy white clouds would spark her memory. She looked back at Syaoran, an apologetic look on her face.  
  
"Sorry, all I remember is that we had to ride horses to get to the town. It took us a couple of hours to get there, but I was too excited to memorize which way we went." She looked forlorn that she couldn't help.  
  
Syaoran sighed. Well, it looks like he'd miss his afternoon's appointments. He was never going to listen to Mei Lin again, coward or not.  
  
"It's alright. Would this Halma person know where it is?"  
  
Star Blossom nodded, happy to have an answer this time. "Yeah, I'm sure she would! I could take you to her. She works as a guide in the Hagden Woods, but today she shouldn't have any customers because of the heat. She'd be happy to help."  
  
Syaoran wiped some sweat from his brow at the mention of heat. It was uncommonly hot, he noticed.  
  
"You mean the woods up there?"  
  
Kiran nodded for her. "yeah, she works with a bunch of other people guiding travelers through the forest. It's a pretty big forest though; I don't know how you'll find her."  
  
Star Blossom looked at Kiran. "What are you talking about? We'll just go to the cabin on the outskirts of the woods."  
  
Kiran shook his head. "She's not there; she probably went out for a walk or something."  
  
Star Blossom narrowed her eyes, and a suspicious grin slipped onto her face. "And how would you know that, brother?" she asked, stifling a giggle.  
  
Kiran looked away, a small blush appearing on his face. "I just went up there earlier to, uh; deliver a new blade, that's all."  
  
Star Blossom laughed. "Yeah right, as if I believe that"  
  
Syaoran dismissed the sibling's quarreling. "So, how do I find her?"  
  
Kiran shrugged. "She'll probably be down here for lunch anytime now. Afterward, she'll go back up to the cabin to take care of some business, and you can just meet her there."  
  
Syaoran nodded and stood up. He wanted to get a head start and have some time alone to develop his first impression of Ch'ien silently. He shook a few stray wood chips off of his shoulders and turned back.  
  
"Thanks for your help. I better get going."  
  
Star Blossom looked slightly disappointed. "What? Already? But Halma won't be back to her cabin at least an hour, and I was going to take you up there. It'll be a lot easier to get through the crowds if you know where you're going."  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I can find it myself."  
  
Star Blossom was about to object, but Kiran settled a hand on Star Blossom's shoulder, shaking his head. As Syaoran disappeared into the crowd, Star Blossom turned to her brother.  
  
"Why'd you let him go?"  
  
Kiran started to go back into the house. "Because he needs to find it on his own" he said simply, heading in for some lunch. ....................  
  
"Give us all of your money, and maybe we'll consider not hurting you" the man sneered with a toothy grin.  
  
Sakura sighed. No matter how many times the administrators kicked bandit players off; they always seemed to find another way to spawn forth at the worst times. Her rumbling stomach had grown in volume until it had become a defiant roar. She could probably eat the lanky boys that accompanied the beefy, lock jawed, muscle men that held up their simple silver daggers threateningly. One had managed to obtain a rusty old Ragara short sword. She wasn't impressed. She'd faced bands of thieves much worse than these. Of course, she hadn't been this hungry when that had happened.  
  
The man with the rusty sword pointed his old weapon at the leather pouch hanging at Sakura's belt. "Just throw those over, and we won't harm you" he said, in a much more serious tone than the perverted mocking of the others.  
  
"Ah, come on Biret, let us have some fun with 'um." Another man with many missing teeth said, leering at Halma's chest.  
  
Halma casually flipped her long braid over her shoulder. Kero stood defiantly in front of the two girls, growling deeply at the men blocking the road into town.  
  
The one called Biret glared at the one who had just spoken. "Shut up Matak, you had plenty of fun last night wasting the caras* we got from those supply wagons." (AN: Ch'ien has a different currency than K'un. One silver cara is equal to about a dollar and 30 cents in US dollars. 5 silver caras makes one silver hania. 2 hania's or 10 caras is equal to one gold shan. 2 copper ratas is equal to one silver cara.)  
  
Matak's smile disappeared and a fierce glare replaced it. "You're treading on thin ice, Biret. We've all gone along with your stupid honor code, and we're sick and tired of it. We never have any fun anymore. If Kinoti knew that you're resolve was faltering, he wouldn't have made you a second."  
  
Sakura rolled her eyes as the men cheered in consent with Matak, all seemingly against following orders from Biret. Not only was this band of thieves pathetically under equipped and unskilled, but they weren't even united! Halma glanced at Sakura from the corner of her eyes, and Sakura knew she was thinking the same thing.  
  
Halma's hand slowly traveled to her waist, where her crossbow hid beneath her billowing blue cloak, but Sakura subtly shook her head. Halma's eyes conveyed her confusion, but she acquiesced and settled her hands on her hips.  
  
Sakura took the opportunity to let her hands slide down beneath her cloak, grasping the two hilts of her Double-Bladed Ran Kodachi's resting on her hips. She loved the feeling of her fists clenched tightly around the silver engraved hilts. She felt powerful, which is something she rarely felt these days. These two blades were the greatest gifts her father had ever given her. (AN: a kodachi is like a very short, slim sword that specializes in defense and agility.) Her father, Fujitaka, actually worked for the Ch'ien administrators, although she'd never been able to find out exactly what it was that he did. When they'd found out that she had complete freedom within Ch'ien, Fujitaka had presented her with these extremely rare blades, forged by Rayn herself when the world was first created. Rayn had created a set of weapons to start out the game, which had now become ancient tools of magic called "Rayna Weapons." Anyone who obtained one of these weapons was given a high rank within the game as well as the title of 'Rayna Wielder' or 'Rayna Warrior'. However, Sakura's blades were only part of a Rayna Weapon. They had originally been fused with another blade, but had been broken apart by Rayn herself when she realized that the three fused blades had more power than the other Rayna weapons put together. For fear that someone with bad intentions would obtain the fused blades without a name, she broke the middle blade off and the blades were sent to opposite ends of Ch'ien. The middle blade, or Saotian Saber, hadn't been seen since. Neither had the Ran Kodachi's until Fujitaka had somehow ended up with them and passed them down to Sakura. The blades possessed great power when fused with the saber, but apart, they were simply metal swords, which meant that Sakura had gained no rank when they'd come to her. Still, Sakura felt more in control when those blades were in her hands. She would forget about being paralyzed, about being fatally diseased. For once, she had something that she was good at, that she could win with. Sakura smiled as her fingers traced the water dragon designs on the sword hilts and as she predicted each man that blocked her way lying on the ground in pain.  
  
Sakura had learned to use the Kodachi's quickly, what with nothing else to do while Tomoyo and the others were at school. She mastered her own style of swordplay, and could now defeat her enemies quickly and swiftly without killing them. The double blades could be twisted a certain way with gravity so that merely the momentum of force they cause could knock a man unconscious.  
  
A bark from Kero shook Sakura from her daydreams. Matak and about half the men were shouting at the other half of the men behind Biret. Only three, lanky men with crummy daggers were left guarding their potential prey. Sakura smirked. 'Piece of cake.'  
  
...........Biret's POV.  
  
Biret watched as his men fell one by one, a green blur slipping in among the groups of quarreling men and cutting them down just as fast. The blond- haired girl stood back, watching uninterestingly as her companion proceeded to cut down the 20 some men that had surrounded them. The gray mutt sat quietly at the girl's feet, waiting for his master to finish her mission.  
  
Biret slipped his rusty sword back in its scabbard, suddenly realizing their mistake in targeting these two girls. He slipped down the hill stealthily, knowing full well that the swordswoman was watching as she finished up with the rest of his men. He ran down the hill towards the main road swiftly, searching the area for possible hostages. He knew her type, protectors of the innocent and all that. If he could find something to use against her, he'd get out of here in time to try his luck at another unlucky person, this time without the skill to defend against him.  
  
Suddenly, he spotted a tall figure heading up the road from the village.  
  
"Bingo" ........Syaoran's POV  
  
Syaoran walked slowly up the dirt road, thinking over what Kiran had told him of this new world and of the miniature map in the dirt. He'd never realized how big Ch'ien really was. Hell, he'd never bothered to realize it. He glanced at his wrist to see what time it was, when he realized he didn't have his watch on anymore. Syaoran sighed angrily. Mei Lin was already going to be mad at him for not showing up on time, and he'd have to reschedule all of his afternoon appointments by the time he got home. He just hoped that this Halma woman would know where they could get some good horses from. He'd hate to have to walk across these hills until dark, by which time Mei Lin would probably already be gone. As Syaoran pondered over his predicament, he heard footsteps on the road in front of him. Syaoran looked up to see where the footsteps were coming from and was faced with a hard faced man with spiked red hair and tawny-colored eyes (tawny is a sort of brown and gold color).  
  
"Sorry about this, mate" the man said before darkness flooded Syaoran's vision.  
  
............Sakura's POV  
  
Sakura watched as the last man in front of her fell to the ground with a grunt. But she knew better than that. The leader, Biret, had run down the hill toward the road. She glanced back at Halma.  
  
"I missed one, he ran down the road. Think I should go after him?"  
  
Halma considered for a moment. "Nah, let's go eat. I'm starving"  
  
Sakura nodded and started to walk back toward her when she hesitated. Something didn't feel right about that Biret. There was something different about him, and she wanted to know what it was. She turned back and yelled over her shoulder. "Better to be safe than sorry, I might as well go and take care of him before this 'Kinoti' guy shows up wanting revenge, you know what I mean?"  
  
Halma shrugged. "Alright, do what you want. Just hurry back; I could eat a horse right now."  
  
Sakura smiled and disappeared down the hill.  
  
..........Syaoran's POV  
  
Syaoran groaned as his eyes opened into the bright sunlight. A dull ache pounded in his head. Syaoran tried to reach up to rub his neck when he found that his hands were tied behind his back with a piece of coarse rope.  
  
'Great, now what?' Syaoran thought sarcastically. Was there anything else that could go wrong today?  
  
Syaoran immediately regretted thinking that when he saw where he was. He was hanging perilously from a tree branch over a huge cliff. He couldn't reach his dagger, and his headache was keeping him from thinking straight. He turned his head as much as he could, and his jaw almost dropped when he saw the hard-faced man standing at the edge, a blade positioned to cut the branch in half.  
  
'I had to ask...'  
  
..........Sakura's POV  
  
Sakura screeched to a halt as she turned at the bend in the road and blinked her eyes at the sight in front of her. Biret stood at the edge of an eighty foot cliff, his rusty blade positioned to cut an overhanging branch that was swinging dangerously over the side of it. Even if Biret's blade was old, he could easily cut down the worn branch.  
  
"Well this isn't something that happens everyday" she muttered to herself. Suddenly she noticed a figure tied to the branch. She continued to jog closer, slipping in among the shadows and desperately trying to get a better view.  
  
Sakura settled herself behind a small juniper bush and looked out from behind it. She gasped as her sight settled on a huge man in a beautiful hunter green traveler's cloak. His calloused hands were tied to the tree branch, leaving him hanging dangerously above the precipe, groaning in pain. But none of this caught her attention when the man's head turned, and she was lost in a moment in time as his amber gaze surrounded her, blocking everything else out...  
  
...........Syaoran's POV  
  
Syaoran's neck was killing him, but he glanced back anyway to try again to convince the red-haired thief to pull him back when he spotted a figure slipping behind a nearby juniper bush.  
  
He puzzled over who the figure could be when a small face peeked out from the bush, and deep emerald eyes enveloped him, taking him away from the cliff, away from the thief, and into a world where only the two of them existed...  
  
...........Halma's POV  
  
Halma ran down the road after Kero as the mutt bounded down the road, disappearing from sight around a bend.  
  
"Kero! Kero! Get back here you stupid mutt! Sakura's fine, ..Kero!"  
  
Halma silently cursed as she jogged around the bend, only to have her jaw drop at the sight before her.  
  
Sakura was hiding behind a nearby bush, a dreamy look on her face as she gazed at a tall man hanging from an overhanging branch by his hands over a huge cliff, staring back at Sakura with the same dreamy look, and the red- haired bandit leader was standing at the edge of the cliff, a rusty sword positioned threateningly at the edge of the branch with a confused look on his face as he glanced between Sakura and the mystery man.  
  
Halma sighed. "Why couldn't we have just gone to lunch?" she muttered.  
  
.....................................  
  
Tada! That's chapter 4! Sorry to end it there, but that's the point of a cliffhanger! Lol, ironically enough, Syaoran really is the cliffhanger here, hehe. But I assure you that was simply a coincidence. Kind of a stupid way to meet, I know, but what can I say? I know it's weird that the big, strong Syaoran was caught by a stupid bandit and is now hanging off of a cliff, but Syaoran wasn't exactly prepared for this. It'll get better later, I promise. Tell me if you guys think that this was a really stupid way to meet, in which case maybe I'll do an alternate chapter or just come up with something better for my next story. Please tell me what you think!  
  
BTW: I need screenames for Syaoran's sister Fuutie and Touya's daughter Ayna.  
  
Ja Ne!  
  
Next Chapter: The Wolf under the Cherry Tree. 


	5. The Wolf under the Cherry Tree

Hey! Sorry for the wait, I was really busy with a bunch of end of the term school projects this last weekend. But the good news is that I'll probably get two more chapters updated on the holiday this weekend.  
  
Thanks so much for all the great reviews, I'm so glad everybody enjoyed the last chapter's ending. I wasn't quite sure about it, but you guys seemed to like it! Need to type some responses here..  
  
Ciara(): Thankies^^. That's one of the compliments I seem to be getting a lot, and it I never get tired of reading it! I plan on making this story a long one too..  
  
Anjuliet: Thanks so much for your review! I had so much fun in San Francisco! We went to all the piers, it was really nice. Thanks for the compliments, and congratulations on being my only reviewer with a map of Ch'ien. Sorry if it didn't turn out very clear, my scanner is a piece of junk.  
  
AnimeObsessionFantasy: Definitely, I love lunch time!^_~  
  
FirexAngel: Thanks for the enthusiastic review! I love getting new reviewers, especially when they enjoy my story so much!^^  
  
Star Cherry: Don't worry about the screenames, I got other suggestions. Thanks for the praise. You're a good author too! Update your story soon^^.  
  
Sakurapetalsntears: YEAH! Go Sakura! She kicks butt! Lol, yep, Syaoran is pretty clueless, but you have to give him a break, this was his first time in Ch'ien since he was little..  
  
Stargirl-rebels: I'm sooo glad I could waste your math class like that, lol. I LOVED your praise!!!^^ Gimme more, pls! Also, I loved your name for Ayna, so congratulations, that's her screename now! Hope you like this chapter, and keep on coming with those praises, ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the CCS characters and certain ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign.  
  
Here's Chapter 5 of Real Love is Just a Dream; bThe Wolf under the Cherry Treeb ....................................  
  
"I can't believe I forgot to tell Sakura that there was a half-day today! I hope she's already in Ch'ien.I'd really rather not call, Touya always answers the phone and gives me a lecture about encouraging Sakura to visit here!" Tomoyo sighed. She kicked a pebble down the road, idly starring up at the bright blue sky.  
  
Eriol watched the small stone bounce ahead on the worn path. "I'm sure she's already here. She almost always is, and Halma could have had her working today."  
  
Tomoyo shook her head. "Nah, not in this heat. Nobody would try traveling through the Hagden on a day like this."  
  
"Well, either way, she spends the majority of her time here. Chances are it won't matter that you forgot to tell her. Now all we have to do is find her.." Eriol fingered a silver cara in his pocket.  
  
Tomoyo nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard, if she's not working then she'll be training out in the woods. But first I wanna grab some lunch and meet Rita, and then we'll go find Sakura."  
  
Eriol watched as a figure approached them from one of the cottages on the outskirts of Souta Village. "How many times do I have to tell you, use our screenames!" he scolded softly, his eyes still watching the figure.  
  
Tomoyo rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "You're just like Sakura,..I mean Cherry Blossom. If nobody can hear us, what's the big deal?" she asked, not expecting a response as she tried to discern who was heading towards them.  
  
"So you want to meet Star Saber after, or before we eat?"  
  
"Rita said she'd meet us at the totoyo* stand. We'll just grab something to eat there."  
  
(AN: totoyo is a type of Ch'ien food; much like a cinnamon bun with lots of sugar)  
  
"Hey! Amethyst Blade! Clow Shadow!" the figure yelled.  
  
Tomoyo smiled. She'd recognize that sultry voice anywhere. "Hey SwordSoul" she greeted when he reached the pair.  
  
SwordSoul grinned playfully. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's Kiran."  
  
Now Tomoyo grinned and glanced at Eriol. "Ask him. He's the one who's always telling me to use screenames."  
  
Eriol narrowed his eyes teasingly. "And since when have you started listening to me?"  
  
Tomoyo placed her hands on her hips and pouted with mock hurt. "What are you talking about? I always listen to you." She said, a hint of sarcasm lining her voice.  
  
Eriol decided to ignore her and instead responded by turning his attention to Kiran. "So, anything interesting happen here since yesterday?" he asked, knowing full well that hardly anything happened in this town.  
  
Kiran's smiled disappeared and he hesitated before replying. "Well, actually, yeah. I guess you could say something interesting happened."  
  
Eriol and Tomoyo both looked surprised. Souta Village was known for its privacy and because of its lack of dungeons or temples, it rarely attracted villagers. It really only held people trying to attempt a simple life, without the tragedy of the nuclear war hanging over their heads like an ominous cloud.  
  
"Really?" Tomoyo asked. She suddenly grinned and whipped out her camera. "What happened?!" she asked excitedly as her camera lens zoomed in on Kiran's face.  
  
Kiran sweatdropped anime style. "Well, two things actually. First, one of the local bandit gangs around here was found a little while ago, all beaten up and bloodied. They were up on one of the hills near the Hagden Woods."  
  
Tomoyo saw a flash of worry cross Kiran's eyes when he mentioned the woods. She smiled reassuringly. "I doubt that Halma was involved. Even if she was, she can take care of herself. She's one of the toughest girls I know"  
  
Kiran blushed slightly at the fact that he'd been so obvious. He continued, "the gang was mainly just a bunch of lackeys, led by an idiot named Matak. I hear he was working for some rich guy by the name of Kinoti. You guys ever heard of him?"  
  
Tomoyo shook her head, and Eriol started to as well, but a thought hit him on the spot. "Actually, I think I remember reading that a business man called Kinoti was claiming to have possession of a Rayna Weapon. That's all I know though."  
  
Kiran considered this fact for a moment before continuing. "I don't know if that's true, but whoever those guys are, they won't be roaming the hills for a while. Whoever they ran into did a heck of a number on those two."  
  
Tomoyo shifted her weight from one leg to another. "What about the other thing?"  
  
Kiran's brow furrowed for a moment before his face cleared with comprehension. "Oh, yeah, that really wasn't much of anything, I just found a new player out on the hills. I don't know, something was odd about him.. I'm probably just being paranoid or something." He dismissed.  
  
Tomoyo nodded, but Eriol persisted. "A new player? That's kind of odd, there aren't many new players these days, most people who plan on coming in have already joined. Was he a little kid?"  
  
Kiran shook his head. "nope, that was the weird part. I'd say he was about 18, maybe 19 years old."  
  
Eriol frowned. "Did he tell you his name?" Kiran nodded and started to answer when he was interrupted by a loud yelp erupting from the nearby ridge of the Hagden Woods. The three of them were far enough outside of town that they were the only ones who could hear the distant yelp echoing off of the cliff walls on the west side of the forest.  
  
Tomoyo instinctively reached for Eriol's hand. "Please tell me it's just me when I say that noise sounded an awful lot like Kero." She asked worriedly.  
  
Eriol nodded regrettably, capturing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "I think you're right, come on, it came from the western cliff faces." Eriol said, breaking into a run up the grassy hill, leading Tomoyo by the hand as Kiran brought up the rear.  
  
'Please let Halma be okay' Kiran thought.  
  
'Please let Sakura be okay' Tomoyo thought.  
  
Eriol most likely would have been thinking the same things if his thoughts weren't already mulling over what Kiran had told him. 'I wonder if there's a connection..' ....................................  
  
"WHAT!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'VE BEEN 'DISPOSED OF'?!"  
  
The messenger cowered under the man's fierce gaze. "I'm sorry, sir, but the 22 men who were found today match the descriptions you gave me. They were all viciously cut down; it's a miracle that they're still alive."  
  
"But how the hell di...wait...22 men?"  
  
The messenger nodded furiously. "Yes sir, all 22 of them. All of them between25 and 35 years old, with the exception of three lanky thirteen year olds that you described as well. A man named Matak seemed to be their leader. He told officials that they were attacked by a huge guy with two gleaming swords when they ambushed two younger women with their mutt. They said the guy was too fast for them to see clearly, so the officials don't have any idea who it was. So far the guys haven't said anything regarding you know what, but the administrators have some pretty convincing methods of persuasion, and Matak's gang aren't the most loyal bunch of thieves. They'll sell out pretty quick if nothing is done."  
  
"Yes, yes, I'm very aware of that. You needn't worry yourself about that. Are you completely sure that there were only 22 of them?"  
  
The messenger nodded, a little hesitantly this time. "Yes, quite sure. Is there something wrong?"  
  
The messenger got no reply. But a slight wind carried the sound of a whisper to his ears from the shadows before him.. "Biret...there may be some hope after all...." ....................................  
  
"Kero you stupid mutt! I told you not to move!"  
  
The gray and white dog skulked back to Halma's feet, skirting the small patch of dirt where the bullet had hit and whimpering with his tail between his legs.  
  
"Kero, I swear, if you weren't Blossom's mutt, I'd feed you to the mountain lions and the mi'hen fangs*". (AN: A Mi'hen Fang is a type of mythological wolf only existing in Ch'ien.)  
  
Halma groaned. This was starting to annoy her. She'd chased Kero down the hill only to find Sakura starring at a young man hanging from a tree branch with a hard-faced thief threatening to cut the branch down. When Kero had seen Sakura, the foolish dog had bounded over towards her, only to be stopped in his tracks when Biret, as Halma recalled the other bandits had called him, had pulled a small handgun from the inside of his cape and shot at Kero's feet. The poor dog had yelped in fright before jumping back to the safety of an over turned log.  
  
'At least Sakura's back to reality' she thought.  
  
Apparently the bullet shot had pierced through whatever fog Sakura's mind had been in, and now she'd moved out from behind the juniper bush, her hands resting carefully on the hilts of her kodachi's.  
  
It seemed that the young man had woken up too, and was now glaring fiercely at the young bandit while trying unsuccessfully to move back along the branch toward the cliff.  
  
'If only he didn't have that stupid handgun' Halma thought, frowning. They could have easily taken this guy out, if not for the gun. She grudgingly admitted that if it hadn't been for that stupid mutt, they never would have known what was hiding beneath the man's cape.  
  
"Stop squirming around, 'else you'll find yourself farther down this cliff face then you want to be" Biret advised, watching as Syaoran reluctantly stopped moving. Biret turned back to the two women in front of him.  
  
.......Biret's POV  
  
'Shit, this wasn't supposed to happen' Biret cursed, watching the two young women standing warily about 20 feet away from him.  
  
' It's a good thing Tirak lent me his handgun this morning' he thought grimly. 'Now what? That other woman doesn't seem the real sympathetic type to me, and if she doesn't fall for this then I'm not gonna get out of here alive. I guess I've got no choice, better hope that this other one can convince her to be a humanitarian today'  
  
"You two take one step closer and this man will never see the light of day again."  
  
.......Sakura's POV.  
  
Sakura cursed under her breath. She had a chance to get this guy out of this predicament and she'd wasted it by making goo goo eyes at a total stranger. 'What's wrong with me?!' she thought, shaking her head of the image of those two amber eyes gazing at her. Now this guy had a gun and a hostage.  
  
'Perfect, Sakura, just perfect. Not only have you just sealed this guy's fate, but quite possible your own as well. Not to mention Halma and Kero.' Sakura groaned inwardly. All she had wanted to do was enjoy a nice toyoto and rice meal at a quiet little marketplace in the village, and now she was playing negotiator with a man who could quite possibly be insane or worse. And where had he managed to get a handgun in Ch'ien? They didn't make those here! He must be a pretty talented hacker, or at least be acquainted with one. Maybe this Kinoti guy had connections.  
  
Sakura shook her head once more to clear her mind. None of that mattered now. She still had a chance to get everyone out of here without a scratch..  
  
.......Syaoran's POV.  
  
Syaoran cursed under his breath. What the hell was he thinking?! He was dangling from an 80 foot drop with a man sticking a sword point at his throat, and he was starring at a girl! He never acted this way! Syaoran shook his head. It must be all the blood rushing from my head or something, he figured.  
  
Syaoran glanced back reluctantly, watching the mysterious girl standing determinedly in front of the other woman and the dog, watching the thief with a calculating look. She looked to him like a pebble trying to stop a tsunami of waves crashing down upon it. Nevertheless, she stood proudly, her jaw set. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire lifetime. She was someone who wasn't going to give up, which greatly relieved Syaoran considering she seemed to be his only hope of getting out of this alive.  
  
For the hundredth time that day, he thought, 'I am never listening to Mei Lin again...'  
  
....................................  
  
"Biret, isn't it?" Sakura called out to the red-haired young man.  
  
Biret nodded suspiciously. "What's my name got to do with anything?"  
  
Sakura shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, just thought I should know the name of the man I'm about to kill, that's all."  
  
Biret scoffed at her response. "Yeah right, I'm not falling for your stupid bluffs."  
  
"Who said anything about a bluff? If she won't kill you, I sure as hell will! Hostage or no hostage!" Halma yelled, starting to get very irritated as her stomach growled.  
  
Sakura ignored her. "Look, I'd rather not kill you, I happen to be very hungry and would like to be on my way as soon as possible, if you don't mind, so could we just wrap this up quickly? What do you want?"  
  
Biret wasn't as stupid as Matak and the others. He knew what she was doing, and yet was surprised none the less. He'd highly underestimated this girl. She was actually trying to put pressure on him to make decisions quickly. This girl knew her stuff..  
  
"What do I want? Oh, I don't' know..peace on earth, I suppose,..an end to world hunger.. You know, all the usual crap that everyone says they care about."  
  
Sakura frowned. It wasn't working on him. She'd have to try a different approach.  
  
"Really? So if I go join some anti-terrorist group that feeds the homeless, you'll let this guy go?" she asked innocently, a cute smile on her face.  
  
Biret grunted incoherently.  
  
Sakura sighed. "Look, you and I both know that you're at a loss right now. You came down the road, looking for a way out of getting the crap beaten out of you, and found some defenseless (hehe, she called Syaoran defenseless) victim to use as a hostage because you're slightly more intelligent than your perverted comrades up on that hill. So now you've got a gun pointed at two, well-know woods guides and a sword about to send a man to his death down the side of a cliff. Yet, you still haven't killed us. So I'm guessing you'd rather avoid that situation about as much as I would. So what I suggest is a compromise." She said bluntly.  
  
Biret and Syaoran looked surprised. Neither of them had expected this girl to be this reasonable. She only looked to be 16 or 17, and yet she made this whole thing seem ridiculously foolish. (AN: Which it is).  
  
Biret lowered his sword ever so slightly, gazing suspiciously at the mysterious girl in front of him. "Compromise?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "A compromise. You let that guy down and let him go, and we'll talk."  
  
Biret's gaze darkened. "No way."  
  
Sakura sighed. "Alright, what if we just let you go, and we'll cut him down?"  
  
Biret shook his head. "How do I know you won't go back to the officials and have them put a bounty on my head? You've already seen me long enough to have a pretty good description, and I'd rather not get a new screename."  
  
"Look, on my word, I won't give you away to any authorities, and neither will my friend here. Believe me, I never go back on my word." She said proudly.  
  
Somehow Biret knew she was telling the truth. Still..  
  
"no"  
  
Sakura crossed her arms exasperatedly. "look, the officials will be here soon, no matter what we do. They'll have heard that gunshot and Kero's yelp, so you don't exactly have many choices, now do you?"  
  
Biret had been thinking the same thing. "Which is why you're going to be my alibi."  
  
Now it was Sakura's turn to be suspicious. "What?"  
  
"When the officials get here, you're going to tell them that I'm your brother, and that we were out hiking when we heard a gunshot and ran over to this spot to see what was going on, but by the time we arrived, there was no sign of anybody."  
  
Halma placed her hands on her hips. "And how do you suppose you're going to explain him?" she pointed to poor Syaoran, still dangling from the branch.  
  
Biret slipped the Ragara sword back into an old leather sheath at his side and pointed the gun at Syaoran's head. "Make any sudden moves, and I'll shoot you so fast you're life won't even have time to flash before your eyes."  
  
Syaoran nodded grudgingly, glaring at his captor. Biret slowly untied Syaoran's bonds with one hand, the other hand pointed at his head.  
  
"Hold onto the branch" Biret commanded.  
  
Syaoran complied reluctantly, grabbing onto the branch as the rope slowly fell from his wrists and down to the steep depths below. He slowly climbed back along the branch and finally down the trunk till his feet hit the ground. Syaoran sighed, relishing the feel of the ground beneath his feet again. Suddenly he felt a gunpoint at his back. He groaned inwardly.  
  
Biret took out another rope and tied Syaoran's hands behind his back, slipping the gun beneath his cape so the officials wouldn't see it.  
  
"See?" Biret said, showing off his handiwork. "The officials come by, we tell them that we don't know anything, and we leave. You take me out as far as the outskirts of Souta, and we both go our separate ways. No harm done. We got a deal?"  
  
Halma glared at the bandit. "Deal? Who the hell do you think we are?! We're not stupid enough to go lying to the officials and letting a criminal get off s..."  
  
"Deal" Sakura interrupted, holding her hand out.  
  
Halma's jaw dropped. "Cherry Blossom! What the hell are you thinking! We can't help this guy!"  
  
Sakura turned to her boss. "Got any better ideas?"  
  
Halma glanced at Syaoran.  
  
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Got any better ideas that don't involve sacrificing someone?"  
  
Syaoran glared at Halma. He already didn't like her.  
  
Halma grunted in response.  
  
Biret nodded, extending out his hand and capturing Sakura's in a firm grip. "Deal."  
  
Something in Syaoran's heart jumped as he watched Biret shake Sakura's hand.  
  
Halma glowered at Biret and was about to say something when Kero barked.  
  
The four of them turned around to come face to face with a group of 15, green and brown suited muscle men with green caps that carried the insignia 'Rayn's Knights' in gold calligraphy.  
  
One of the men stepped forward, slipping a small patch with a familiar symbol embroidered onto it out for them to see. "My name is Official Mentok, of the First Division of Rayn's Knights. We need to ask you some questions."  
  
....................................  
  
Tomoyo clutched at Eriol's cape as she whipped around at the sound of a nearby bush rustling. "Clow Shadow, something's coming out of those bushes!"  
  
Eriol slipped unconsciously in front of Tomoyo, his hand on the saber at his hip.  
  
"Don't attack! Don't attack! We just need to ask you some questions." A voice yelled as a figure in a brown and green suit stepped out of the bushes.  
  
Eriol lifted his hand away from his side. "What kind of questions?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
The man laughed. "Why is everyone in this area so suspicious? I could have sworn the young lady I just talked to said the exact same thing when I asked her. I'm Official Mentok, of the First Division of Rayn's Knights. We heard a gunshot and a yelp, I guess you could call it, and came up to investigate. Earlier today, 22 men were discovered beaten and bloodied, so forgive us if we seem a bit on edge."  
  
Kiran nodded, a sinking suspicious settling in the bottom of his mind. "We heard about that. When we heard the gunshot, we were just at the bottom of the hill, so we raced up here. You can even ask my sister, we weren't here when the shot went off. My sister was watching us from a window in our cottage."  
  
Official Mentok nodded. "No, that's quite alright. We don't think it's you, we just want to make sure you haven't seen anything else. It's kind of difficult to get a story straight when everybody you run into seems to have the same story."  
  
"Excuse me?" Eriol asked.  
  
Official Mentok gestured back towards the trees he'd come from. "We ran into a group of four people a little while ago who said basically the same thing, that they had heard the shot and come to investigate. One of them had quite an attitude though, the one who I mentioned before."  
  
Kiran considered a moment. "Did this young lady happen to have a long, blond braid and blue eyes with a blue tunic on?"  
  
Official Mentok nodded, immediately suspicious. "You know her?"  
  
Kiran waved his hand dismissively. "She's a guide out here, so it's no surprise that she was there first."  
  
Eriol stopped. A group of four people...  
  
"Who else was in the group, might I ask?"  
  
Official Mentok considered a moment. "Well, the other young lady had auburn hair and green eyes."  
  
"That's Cherry Blossom, she's another guide." Tomoyo reassured.  
  
"And there was young man with messy brown hair and oddly colored eyes, kinda like tree sap.."  
  
Kiran nodded, turning to Tomoyo and Eriol. "That's Little Wolf, the new player I mentioned. He wanted to find another town, so I sent him up to Crimson Heart to ask her."  
  
Eriol thought the description sounded vaguely familiar, but he dismissed it. "And the other one?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, he said he was the auburn-haired one's brother. Had spikey red hair and tawny eyes."  
  
Tomoyo frowned. "But, Cherry Blossom doesn't have a brother..."  
  
Official Mentok's face paled. "What?!  
  
Kiran thought for a moment.red hair..tawny eyes..  
  
"That description sounds like a guy I've met before, I think his name was Biret. My sister introduced him to me..but he disappeared after a few days..my sister said something about him meeting his boss." Kiran froze, turning to Eriol.  
  
"Kinoti"  
  
Official Mentok's eyes widened at the mention of that name. He grabbed a two-way radio from his belt and hurriedly turned it on, bringing it up to his face and yelling into the microphone.  
  
"Men! We have a big problem! Spread and search! Find those four and bring them back here!!!"  
  
....................................  
  
Note: Officials of Rayn's Knights are like the police of the administrators of Ch'ien. They don't have screenames, just one word code names.  
  
So, what did ya think? This chapter is pretty long, for some reason. I was trying to finish it quickly, so sorry if some parts seem sloppy or rushed. Please Review!!!!!  
  
*note: I still need a screen name for Syaoran's sister Fuutie.  
  
Please send me any questions, ideas, or suggestions you might have. And best of all, praise!! Or even better, writer's feedback!! Send me all your wonderful reviews! Ja Ne!  
~Vixie.  
  
Next Chapter: A Winged Escape and the Journey Begins. 


	6. A Winged Escape and the Journey Begins

Hi everyone! It's me, Vixie. (AN: Who else would it be?)  
  
Anyway, apparently you all liked the last chapter. I'm very excited to finally have this chapter up. The last couple of chapters have just been leading up to Syao and Saku's meeting, but now we can actually get the story going. This chapter might be shorter than the last one, I'm not quite sure yet, it depends on how much of it I get done by the time our turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is ready. Then I have to go. Also, I know I said that I would try to get two chapters up this weekend, but it looks like this will be the only one I'll be able to post, apparently I'll be up in the mountains this weekend. So hopefully this chapter can last you guys at least a week. Plus in the next couple of weeks I've got to study for my mid- terms, but once winter break starts I'll be able to post every couple of days^^.  
  
Hehe, I'm sitting here at my computer next to a cozy fire with a cup of hot cocoa (*got the idea from Star Cherry ^_~). It's freezing outside!! So, I decided to put off my homework today and just put up chapter 6 of Real Love is Just a Dream; A Winged Escape and the Journey Begins.  
  
Here's my review replies;  
  
Stargirl-rebels:  
  
Don't kill yourself!! Then you'll never know what'll happen to Syao and Saku in Ch'ien^^. Don't worry about Fuutie's name, I got other suggestions. I updated, so now you have to keep up your end of the bargain and live so that I can get more reviews^^.  
  
Star Cherry:  
  
^^I got you on author alert too! We should definitely do a story together!  
  
Hikaru Ayumi:  
  
Thanks so much for the suggestions for Fuutie's name. You were the only one who sent me any ideas! So now I'm gonna use 'em.^^  
  
Sweet-captor:  
  
THANKIES^^  
  
Anjuliet:  
  
No problem! I'm glad somebody got some use out of that map. ^^and don't worry, Syao and Saku r going to get together within the couple of chapters, I hope. They just don't realize it at first. Oh, and just to warn ya, I'll probably have a lemon somewhere in the future in this story. Thanks for the review!  
  
AnimeObsessionFantasy:  
  
Thanks! I'm glad it's getting more and more exciting.  
  
.......Okay, that's that. I might have another story coming out soon, I'm not quite sure yet..Oh, and like I told anjuliet, there will probably be a lemon in this story in the later chapters, just to warn you, although I'm not quite sure which chapter yet. Thanks for all the reviews. Please send me more!!! Reviews are what keep me going with this! I've decided that if I get less than 5 reviews for this chapter, I'm going to make the next chapter really really short! Myuahhahahahahaha*laughs evilly*. Sorry, it must be the cocoa.  
  
Disclaimer: Oh, yeah. I don't own any of the CCS characters and certain ideas from this story were inspired by .Hack//Sign. But I swear the rest of it is all mine!^^  
  
Here's Chapter 6 of Real Love is Just a Dream; A Winged Escape and the Journey Begins.  
  
............Enjoy!  
  
"GRROOOOOWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL"  
  
Sakura blushed, covering her stomach with her hand. Halma grinned.  
  
"A little hungry, are we?" Halma said, trying in vain not to laugh.  
  
Sakura glared at her. Then turned to Biret, who was walking a few steps ahead of her with a gun still at Syaoran's back.  
  
"It's not my fault that I haven't eaten lunch yet" she grunted.  
  
Biret only glanced back briefly before turning back to the road ahead of them silently.  
  
Sakura groaned. This is the way it had been ever since they'd left the pack of officials in the woods. They'd slowly trekked around the north side of the forest, going past Souta Village to the main road, where they'd agreed to escort Biret to the first traveler's checkpoint, which was about 2 miles out of town. The whole time Biret had walked out in front, with a gun pointed at the mysterious hostage's back, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time. Halma and Sakura walked a few steps behind them, and Kero trotted along, switching between leading the way and bringing up the rear. Now that they'd left the village behind, the silence of the rolling green hills was deafening, and Sakura couldn't take it anymore.  
  
She decided to try to get the mysterious man to talk. She'd been watching him, and she still couldn't understand what intrigued her about him. He was like a puzzle just waiting to be solved. If only he would actually say something!  
  
"So, what happens after we reach the checkpoint? You just going to let us go?"  
  
Biret kept his sight on the road ahead while he answered. "I guess. I should be able to get far enough away from town that the officials won't be able to catch me once you go back and rat me out."  
  
Sakura fumed. "Who ever said we were going to rat you out!!!?? I gave you my word that we wouldn't, and I told you, I never go back on my word!!" she defended.  
  
Biret glanced back at her briefly and studied her eyes. Then he turned back to the road. "I never said that. I don't doubt at all that you'd keep your word. You seem like the kind of person who would. But it's her I'm worried about." He answered, gesturing toward a fuming Halma.  
  
"What makes you think I'm a rat??!!!" she yelled, outraged.  
  
Biret shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you weren't even willing to make this deal in the first place. Remember? I think I recall you saying 'We're not stupid enough to go lying to the officials and letting a criminal get off..'. Forgive me if that makes me just a slight bit suspicious." He replied sarcastically.  
  
Halma clenched her teeth angrily, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. She was about to start ranting about proper respect for someone who's just saved his hide when Sakura placed a hand calmly on her shoulder, motioning for her to let it go.  
  
Halma grunted, grudgingly shutting her mouth and crossing her arms over her chest, deciding suddenly that the scenery around them was extremely interesting.  
  
Sakura sighed. That had really worked well. She tried again. "So when we get to the checkpoint, you'll be releasing all three of us, right?"  
  
Biret nodded. Syaoran just kept his vision on the road ahead, his thoughts keeping him distracted from the conversation.  
  
Syaoran had long ago given up trying to think of something to say or a way to escape. What did it matter? If he did manage to escape, he wouldn't be able to find his way back anyway. Mei Lin would already be pissed off at him, so why not just put off seeing her for a little while longer. Besides, he wanted very badly to see where this man went. He vowed that he would get revenge on him somehow.  
  
Reluctantly he admitted that the main reason he was still here was because of the emerald-eyed girl behind him. Apparently her name was Cherry Blossom, but he could have sworn he'd heard the blond-haired one call her Sakura. He still couldn't figure out what it was about her that had him watching her every chance he got. And, he figured, if he escaped now, the thief Biret would most likely just take it out on Sakura and the other girl. For some reason Syaoran found that he didn't want that to happen more than anything else.  
  
All of this was going through Syaoran's head when suddenly a large, blunt object came hurtling through the air, hitting him squarely on the head.  
  
"OUCHHHH! WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?!!!" he yelled, whirling around the face a frowning Sakura.  
  
Sakura glared at him. "I asked you a question!!!! What are you, deaf?!!!"  
  
Syaoran glared back at her, looking down at the ground to discover the rock that she'd thrown at him.  
  
"Ever hear of tapping someone on the shoulder??!!" he growled, kicking the rock down the road.  
  
Sakura just narrowed her eyes, glowering at him with her hands on her hips. For some odd reason her nerves were on edge when she talked to him. Usually she was known for dealing with situations calmly, and reasonably. She almost never yelled. But for some reason he managed to provoke her.  
  
Sakura lengthened her stride to catch up with Syaoran. She turned to him once she managed to get next to him. "I asked you what your name was, that's all!!" she growled.  
  
Syaoran grunted in response. Now he knew why she intrigued him, it was because she got on his nerves! Not even Mei Lin was this annoying!  
  
Sakura's glower darkened to a fierce glare. Jeez this baka was frustrating!!! He wouldn't even answer her! "I SAID, WHAT'S YOUR NAME??!!!" she yelled into his ear.  
  
Syaoran flinched. Her voice was louder than Mei Lin's too. He whipped his head around and stopped, surprising Sakura. "I heard you the first time!!!" he yelled.  
  
Sakura's glare returned. "Then why didn't you answer me!?"  
  
"Because I chose not to!!! Why is my name any of your business?!"  
  
"Because I just saved your life you ungrateful idiot!"  
  
"Saved my life!? In case you haven't noticed, I'VE GOT A GUN POINTED AT MY BACK BECAUSE OF YOU!"  
  
"HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?!!"  
  
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MADE THAT STUPID COMPROMISE!" "HOW DO YOU THINK I MANAGED TO GET YOU DOWN FROMT THAT TREE??!!!"  
  
"COULDN'T YOU THINK OF SOMETHING THAT WOULDN'T INVOLVE ME WITH A GUN AT MY BACK!!!???"  
  
"WHAT, YOU HAD A BETTER IDEA??!!!"  
  
"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!!!" Biret screamed in both of their ears. They both flinched, trying to get the ringing sound out of their ears.  
  
Biret sighed. He'd picked the worst hostages in the world. At this rate the entire world of Ch'ien would be able to hear them.  
  
Syaoran 'hmphed' and stalked off, with Biret trying vainly to keep the gun pointed at his back. (AN: Syaoran's hands are still tied behind his back, which is why he can't beat the crap out of Biret, lol)  
  
Sakura crossed her arms across her chest, settling back next to Halma and matching her stride. Halma said nothing, still fuming from her conversation with Biret.  
  
A couple of meters down the road, a little boy was playing with some sticks in the ground when he noticed a group of four people coming down the road. He stood up eagerly. He loved talking to the travelers who came through here. The little boy started to head toward them, but stopped when he saw them more clearly.  
  
Leading the way were two older men, one with a fierce glare on his face, and the other with an exasperated groan. The two women following them were glowering at their backs. Following them was a large gray mutt, trotting at their heels silently.  
  
The little boy turned back to his sticks. These travelers didn't look anything like group who had passed before them. He picked up a rock and started to draw, completely forgetting about the hard-faced group as he became immersed in his own imagination.  
  
..........Tomoyo's POV  
  
Tomoyo, Eriol, and Kiran ran down the hill as fast as they could. The broke into a dead run towards Kiran's cottage once they hit the bottom.  
  
'Please don't let them catch them' Tomoyo pleaded. They had to warn Sakura and Halma that the officials were after them. Tomoyo felt like an idiot, she had completely blown whatever cover that Cherry Blossom and Crimson Heart were using, and now the administrators would be after them. Tomoyo didn't know what she would do if she was responsible for having Sakura kicked out of the only place where Sakura found happiness.  
  
Tomoyo suddenly felt someone grab her hand. She looked up and saw Eriol gazing down at her reassuringly. He knew what she was thinking. Tomoyo smiled sadly, squeezing his hand and quickening her pace to catch up with Kiran, who was already lengths ahead of them as he raced toward the small stable across from the small community where he lived with his sister.  
  
Star Blossom rushed out of the house as she watched the three of them hurriedly tacking up three of the nearest horses from the old stable.  
  
"What's wrong?! What happened?! Is everything okay?!" she yelled worriedly.  
  
Tomoyo only paused for a moment while she placed a saddle on the gray mare she was leading. "We have to find Cherry Blossom and Crimson Heart. Do you know where they could have gone?! Did you see them come out of the forest?!" she asked.  
  
Star Blossom shook her head sadly. "No, I didn't see them. I'm sorry. Can I come with you?" she pleaded.  
  
Kiran started to shake his head, but Eriol was already leading a smaller chestnut pony toward Star Blossom. "Get her tacked up and hurry."  
  
Star Blossom nodded emphatically before rushing off.  
  
Kiran glared slightly at Eriol. "What'd you do that for? She might slow us down! She might be in danger once we find them! I don't want my sister to become a fugitive of the Rayn Law." He growled angrily.  
  
Eriol slipped a bridle onto his black stallion quickly. "We don't have a choice. You said you're sister knew this Biret guy. We may need her to deal with him. Remember, we don't know a thing about him except for that he works for Kinoti, which doesn't seem to be a good thing. Maybe we can use Star Blossom to work with him."  
  
Kiran grunted reluctantly, admitting that he was right. Still, he didn't want to put his sister in danger.  
  
Tomoyo glanced at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. Star Blossom can take care of herself, she's pretty tough for a fifteen year old."  
  
Kiran just nodded. "yeah, I guess you're right.."  
  
..........Official Mentok's POV  
  
"They went up the road, that way" the little boy pointed with his stick, glaring at the official who had stepped on his drawing.  
  
"Are you sure, kid?" Official Mentok asked. The kid nodded enthusiastically, eager for these big men to leave.  
  
"Alright, thanks for the info, kid. Oh, uh, sorry about the drawing, anyway." He said dismissively, motioning for his men to follow him. He mounted the enormous roan stallion that was his ride for the day and urged him into a full gallop towards the traveler's checkpoint in the distance. He had a hunch that that was where his targets were headed.  
  
"Just a little longer..."  
  
...........Sakura & Co.  
  
Sakura gazed up at the wooden watch tower that marked the first checkpoint, her anger forgotten for the moment. The watch tower was topped with three enormous flags, one that marked the Rayn's Knights emblem, one that marked the Traveler's Checkpoint, and, of course, the national Ch'ien flag with Rayn's eternal symbol emblazed on the bright red background.  
  
"Well, we're here. Can we go now?!" Halma asked impatiently, her stomach still growling fiercely.  
  
Biret shook his head. "Hold on a second,..." he said, cautiously approaching the watch tower as his eyes searched the area around them for some kind of trap.  
  
Syaoran gazed around cautiously, catching sight of Sakura staring up at the flags waving in the cool afternoon breeze. The wind ruffled her auburn hair, letting it settle around her smooth face and sparkling emerald eyes.  
  
'Even if she is a pain in the butt, she's definitely a sight for sore eyes.' He thought grudgingly.  
  
Sakura suddenly felt someone's eyes on her and whipped her head around, catching a glimpse of Syaoran's amber eyes as he turned away, pretending to be interested in the tower ahead of them.  
  
Sakura frowned. 'One minute he's yelling at me for asking a question, and the next minute he's looking at me like we're the only people on Earth.' She thought, determined to figure him out. She was throughly perplexed by him, and she hated it.  
  
Sakura was about to try asking him his name again when a sound in the distance echoed in her ears. She cocked her head toward the road they had just come from.  
  
"Hey guys..do you hear that?" she asked hesitantly, trying to place the sound in her mind.  
  
Syaoran turned his head to the direction she was looking and listened for a moment before answering.  
  
"Yeah, sounds like...horses. Lots of them."  
  
Sakura nodded in agreement. Halma turned toward the road behind them. "But that doesn't make any sense. The big traveling groups never come around these parts in this heat." She said, deeply mystified.  
  
Sakura nodded again. "I don't think it's a big traveling group, I don't hear any wagon wheels. Big groups with that many horses always have supply wagons with them." She said.  
  
"Well then who else could it be?" Syaoran asked.  
  
Biret had been listening quietly this entire time, and now he suddenly whipped his head up to look at them, a scared look on his face for the first time.  
  
"It's the officials!! I can hear the sound of their sabers against the metal stirrups. They must have figured out we were lying somehow!"  
  
Sakura's brow furrowed. "But how? There's no way that they could have figured it out." She said.  
  
Biret shook his head helplessly, glancing around for a place to hide. "They must have. Unless I'm mistaken, a group that large doesn't come out to do routine checks of the traveler's checkpoints."  
  
Suddenly Sakura was scared. If they found out they'd helped this thief escape, she could be kicked out of Ch'ien. She'd die before she let that happen! Ch'ien was her only escape, the only place she could live in freedom! It wasn't fair!!  
  
Sakura's scared frown turned into a glare of desperate determination. "Okay, we're still not sure that it's us that they're after. We need to find out for sure that it's us they want."  
  
Syaoran gestured with his foot (AN: since his hands are tied behind his back) toward a small clump of trees a few meters from them. "We can hide in there until they pass, or at least until we've found out that they're after us." Syaoran said. He couldn't believe his luck. The day he finally ends up coming into Ch'ien, and he gets kidnapped, threatened, and put on a most wanted list all in the period of a few hours. It only proved that nothing good could come out of this place.  
  
Sakura nodded. "Good idea." She headed over to the large birch trees, with Halma, Biret, and Syaoran following. Kero trotted along next to Syaoran's heels, having no idea what was going on.  
  
.........Official Mentok's POV  
  
"Woah!"  
  
Official Mentok slowed his horse until he came to a complete stop in front of the wooden watch tower that marked the traveler's checkpoint. The 20 men that were accompanying him slowed to a halt behind him, their horses stepping about restlessly. Mentok glanced around suspiciously, dismounting and slowly checking for any signs of the fugitives, unaware that their eyes were watching him warily from a few meters away.  
  
Mentok cursed under his breath. He had been hoping that they would be able to catch them before they reached the checkpoint. And there weren't even any tracks to go on. It looks like they had walked here, there were no signs of horse tracks. The tracks of the four of them had abruptly stopped in front of the watch tower. (AN: Biret is a practiced thief, he knows what he's doing, so he covered their tracks that led to the forest.)  
  
"Sir! What would you like us to do?" one of the officials asked.  
  
Mentok glanced around, at a loss of what they could do. He glanced back at the group behind him. "I don't suppose any of you have any idea where they might have gone from here?"  
  
Most of them shook their heads, but one of them raised his hand hesitantly.  
  
Official Mentok recognized him as one of the new recruits, a man codenamed Kiryk.  
  
"Yes, Kiryk, what do you have to say?"  
  
Kiryk stepped forward hesitantly. "Well, sir, those people we talked to said that the two girls, Cherry Blossom and Crimson Heart, were woods guides, so I assume they know the lay of the land pretty well."  
  
Sakura gasped when she heard her name from her place next to Syaoran behind a juniper bush. She heard Halma gasp as well from her hiding spot with Biret beneath the boughs of an old oak tree.  
  
"Yes, go on" they heard Mentok say.  
  
"Well, we obtained a map from one of the locals," Kiryk continued, slipping a map from his saddlebag, "and according to it, the area ahead is all rolling fields of dried grass for the next 5 miles at least. So, my guess is, that they're hiding somewhere around here. Two woods guides like them wouldn't be stupid enough to travel in the open like that, so I suggest we check all the possible hiding spots from where that little boy spotted them to this checkpoint." He concluded.  
  
Mentok nodded approvingly. "Very good, Kiryk. Nice thinking, I like your idea." He turned his attention to all of the men. "Men! Spread and Search!"  
  
The officials all dismounted, fanning out slowly to check the landscape.  
  
..............Sakura's POV  
  
Sakura bit her lip desperately as she watched an official approach their juniper bush. What now? She fingered the hilts of her kodachi's hesitantly. Biret had a gun, she had her kodachi's, and Halma had her daggers. They could take on a few of them, but 20 men? All with sabers, and 8 with handguns? All having years of training in combat? There was no way she'd be able to do that. And what about Syaoran? She thought. As much as she thought she'd like to leave him to the mercy of the officials, she couldn't let him rot in prison when none of this was his fault.  
  
Suddenly Kero bounded out of the bush that he had been lying in and hurtled toward the official.  
  
"Kero! NO!" Sakura tried to yell, but Syaoran's hand was covering her mouth. She wrestled helplessly, watching as Kero pushed the man to the ground, his arm in Kero's jaw.  
  
............Syaoran's POV  
  
Syaoran tried desperately to keep Sakura from being seen as he wrestled to keep her quiet. He'd managed to get his bonds undone with the silver dagger inside of his cloak once Biret wasn't pointing a gun at his back anymore.  
  
Suddenly Sakura managed to get an arm free and grabbed one of the kodachi's from her belt, whipping it around to rest before Syaoran's throat.  
  
"Let go of me" she said in a dangerously calm voice.  
  
Syaoran overcame his surprise to respond. "What are you crazy? You'll get killed!"  
  
Sakura didn't move. "I'd rather that than loose my freedom."  
  
Syaoran didn't know what she meant, and was about to ask when a yelp from Kero ahead of them distracted him long enough for Sakura to wrestle out of his grip and lunge ahead, plunging her kodachi deep into the man's leg, whipping her hand out to cover the man's mouth to keep him from screaming. The man's eyes widened in agony as he sank to the ground, clutching at his now blood-covered pants. After a few moments the man mercilessly fell unconscious. Syaoran's jaw dropped. This girl could fight!  
  
Sakura sighed, pulling Kero off of the man and wiping the blood off of her blade in the dirt. She slipped the kodachi back into its scabbard and started to drag the body back behind another bush, but he was too heavy. She clenched her teeth, digging her heels into the ground, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly the body became lighter and lifted from the ground. Sakura opened her eyes to see Syaoran carrying the man's legs, helping her place the body far from sight.  
  
Sakura nodded her thanks grudgingly, glancing back to find Biret and Halma. They appeared after a few moments, both with blood on their tunics.  
  
"Run into the same problem?" Halma whispered.  
  
Sakura and Syaoran nodded. "How are we going to escape?" Sakura whispered.  
  
Syaoran glanced at the bodies, sighing before turning back to them. "I hate to rob a dead man, but I don't think we have a choice.."  
  
.............Hours Later.Official Mentok's POV  
  
"Sir! Sir! SIR!"  
  
Mentok shook his head, clearing the daydreams from his mind as he gazed at the gathering darkness. He turned to see Official Kiryk looking nervous.  
  
"What is it Kiryk? Did you find 'em?"  
  
Kiryk shook his head, ringing his hands on his belt. "Well, sir, not exactly....they've escaped."  
  
Mentok's awareness grew. "What? What do you mean they escaped?"  
  
Kiryk bit his lip nervously. "Well, the two men somehow managed to capture two of our men and stole their uniforms. They apparently snuck over here under the pretense of getting some flashlights from the saddlebags. The next thing we knew, they had stolen four of our best horses, knocked out two more of our men, and were galloping towards that strand of trees over there. Our men tried to go after them, but most of them were far from their horses in the trees on the side of the road. A few men managed to give chase, but once they reached the trees, somebody unhorsed them and knocked them unconscious. By the time we reached the forest, there were six men on the ground and the four of them were gone."  
  
Mentok cursed, throwing his hat down onto the ground in a rage. "Why hadn't you idiots found them by then!?"  
  
Kiryk shrunk under the official's fierce glower. "They were hiding in the east area of that small forest. The two men we sent in that direction were the ones who were captured and used to provide the uniforms. Nobody heard them scream or anything."  
  
Mentok stormed off towards his horse, roughly grabbing the radio from his saddlebag. He turned it on and yelled into the microphone.  
  
"THIS IS OFFICIAL MENTOK OF THE 1ST DIVISION. WE HAVE TEN MEN DOWN ON THE SEARCH FOR THE FUGITIVES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BEATING OF MATAK'S GROUP. THEY HAVE ESCAPED AND ARE NOW ON THE RUN. I REPEAT, THEY ARE NOW ON THE RUN. I WANT AN ALL CALL OUT ON EVERY DIVISION FOR THE FUGITIVES; CHERRY BLOSSOM, CRIMSON HEART, AN UNIDENTIFIED TALL MAN WITH BROWN HAIR, AND A BANDIT ON THE RUN NAMED BIRET. I REPEAT, THESE CRIMINALS ARE WANTED, DEAD, OR ALIVE!"  
  
.............Sakura & Co.  
  
Sakura urged her horse onward as they galloped across the stretch of open fields, hoping to reach the cover of the nearby hills. After an hour, the four of them slowed the lathered horses to a stop behind a large outcropping of rock on one of the hills.  
  
Sakura sank to the ground, despair written all over her face. Great, now she was a wanted criminal. If she was caught, she'd be fined and banned from Ch'ien forever, and she be forced to spend what few years were left of her life in a hospital bed as she wasted away. She had never felt so hopeless. She fingered the silver Chinese pendant at her neck that Ayna had given her for her birthday..  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Happy Birthday Sakura!" Ayna yelled happily, jumping onto the bed with a small, wrapped package.  
  
"Ah, is that for me? I love presents!" Sakura chirped, a fake smile on her face. Some birthday it had been. She'd found out that morning that the doctor thought she would never walk again. She had cried for hours. It all seemed so hopeless...  
  
"Yep! Grandpa helped my buy it! So it's sorta from both of us, but I chose which one you would like!" she exclaimed proudly, holding the small red package out to her.  
  
Sakura picked it up delicately, unwrapping it slowly as she enjoyed the excitement on Ayna's face. She slipped the wrapping off to find a small, green and pink box.  
  
"What could this be?" she said, smiling at the look on Ayna's face.  
  
"Open it! Open it!" she yelled.  
  
Sakura obliged and opened the tiny box. There, on a small green cushion, lay a beautiful, simple, silver chain, from which hung a small silver pendant with a beautiful design emblazed on it in gold. "Ohhhh, Ayna, it's beautiful." Sakura exclaimed, picking it out of the box gently. She certainly hadn't been expecting this.  
  
"It's a Hope pendant." Ayna chirped. "The pictures on it represent Hope. The store had lost of them, and Grandpa asked me which one you would like. They had courage, friendship, love. They had lots of them! But I picked hope 'cuz you're always saying we shouldn't give up hope, just like my mommy says! Auntie Sakura, why are you crying?" Ayna asked worriedly.  
  
A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek. She quickly wiped it away, and truly smiled for the first time in years. "No reason, I just really really like it. Will you help me put it on?" Sakura managed to get out.  
  
Ayna's smile returned. "Of course I will! Mommy showed me how to put my necklaces on last week, so I can show you how to do yours.."  
  
Sakura listened to Ayna talk about everything and nothing at all, glancing at the silver pendant that she knew wasn't just a gift from Ayna. Her father had purposefully bought her this one, and she knew why. Another tear rolled down her cheek, this time unseen by Ayna.  
  
-end of flashback-  
  
Sakura smiled, remembering her family back home, and all they had done for her. She gripped the pendant at her chest, determination settling in. 'Well,' she thought, 'I guess I'm starting my journey for the Saotian Saber a little early. I'll find the saber, get my surgery, and take control of my life again!'  
  
..............Syaoran's POV  
  
Syaoran watched Sakura's emotions play on her face amusedly. At one point she looked like the world had ended, and now she looked like she was on a mission to end world hunger. He couldn't help but smile a little when the sparkle returned to her fiery gaze.  
  
Now he was a fugitive on the run. Most likely Mei Lin was seriously angry with him and would most definitely tell his mother. His mother would punish him for this final straw by giving the company to his sisters, and the wedding would be take place even sooner. 'I'm sick of this!' he thought. 'Enough of that stupid life, I'm not going back there if that's the last thing I do!' . He was decided. No more Mei Lin, no more company, and no more K'un. As much as he hated Ch'ien, he discovered that he hated K'un even more! If he had to live as a fugitive in this world, so be it. At least he would be free from everything else.  
  
..............Biret's POV  
  
'Well, Kinoti would have found out by now that I escaped. Now he'll be after my hide to find out what the Angels of the Light said. I'm a dead man if I go back.' He thought. He smiled to himself. 'Looks like I'm on my own again. Sorry Kinoti'  
  
.............Sakura & Co.  
  
Biret dismounted and turned toward the three of them. "Look, now we're all fugitives. Soon, they'll have us wanted in the entire Pri Nuta Region. You all are free to do what you want, but I'm getting out of here."  
  
Sakura stood. "I'm going too."  
  
Halma's jaw dropped. "What!?"  
  
Sakura turned to Halma, her jaw set. "I can't go back. You know what'll happen if I do."  
  
Halma said nothing. She knew very well what Sakura was talking about.  
  
Sakura continued, turning to Biret and Syaoran. "I was planning on going on a trip anyway. Guess I'll just get started early."  
  
Syaoran looked at her questioningly. "What kind of trip?"  
  
Sakura slipped her two kodachi's out of their scabbards, letting the design on the hilts catch the light of the receding sun.  
  
Biret gasped. "Those are Rayna Weapons!!!"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Almost. They're missing a part. The original weapon had a third blade, the Saotian Saber. I'm going to find that saber and unite the three weapons."  
  
Biret looked at her. "ARE YOU CRAZY!!!! You're going to recreate the ultimate Rayna Weapon?!!"  
  
Sakura nodded, a dead serious look on her face.  
  
Suddenly, Biret smiled and laughed. "Wow, a quest for the most powerful weapon in Ch'ien. I don't think I've heard of anything that sounded so much fun. What do you say we join forces? Mind if I tag along?"  
  
Sakura studied him for a moment. Something about him told her that he was trustworthy. She nodded. "Alright. The two of us it is then." She turned to Syaoran before Halma could say something.  
  
"What about you? What are you going to do?" she asked, studying him.  
  
Syaoran shrugged. "Well, I don't exactly plan on going back to K'un. I was supposed to find Crimson Heart," Syaoran looked pointedly at Halma, "and have her lead me to a café called La Pajara to meet my cousin. To tell you the truth I'd rather stay a wanted criminal than deal with her."  
  
Sakura smiled slightly. For some reason she had been hoping he would say something like that. "Why don't you come with us? You've got nothing else to do."  
  
Syaoran studied her for a moment. Here was the girl, who just a little while ago, had yelled at him for not telling her his name, and who could get on his nerves with one word, and yet he could sit and stare at her for hours without figuring out one thing about her. She truly puzzled him. If nothing else, he would at least be able to try and figure out what it was about her that had him staring at her the first time they spotted each other.  
  
Syaoran nodded. "Fine. I'll go with you. Although I can't promise I won't strangle him in his sleep" he growled, glaring at Biret.  
  
Biret laughed. "Ah, come on, you can't still be mad at me for that whole kidnapping thing, can ya?"  
  
Syaoran grunted. "You'd be surprised how long I can keep a grudge."  
  
"HOLD ON! Doesn't anyone want to know what I think about this?!" Halma yelled, hands on her hips.  
  
Before Syaoran and Biret could make a sarcastic remark, Sakura cut in. "You don't have to come with us, Crimson. I know you want to get back to SwordSoul."  
  
Halma slightly flinched at the mention of Kiran, but quickly recovered, not before Sakura noticed though. "Oh, no you don't. You aren't going to get rid of me that easily. You know that Amethyst Blade planned on going with you on this trip, so if you insist on going now, the least I'm going to do is go in her place."  
  
Sakura started to interrupt, but Halma held up her hand. "I'm going no matter what you say, Cherry. I owe Amethyst a favor anyway."  
  
Sakura sighed. "Well, I guess this means we're all going."  
  
"Do you have any idea where to start?" Biret asked.  
  
Sakura nodded and yawned. The sun had dipped below the mountains, leaving the sky illuminated only by the moonlight. She wouldn't be returning home tonight. She hoped that her family would understand, somehow.  
  
"I'll explain everything tomorrow morning. You all realize that if we do this, we'll be in Ch'ien for a long time. We won't be returning to K'un at all until it's over, even at night."  
  
The three of them nodded.  
  
"Well, then let's just go to sleep. I'm exhausted and I need some time to think. There should be some bedrolls in the saddlebags. I'll keep first watch."  
  
Biret nodded. "Wake me up in a few hours for the next one, then."  
  
Biret and Halma started towards their horses to set up camp for the night. Syaoran started to walk towards his stallion when Sakura's hand caught his arm. He turned around expectantly.  
  
Sakura blushed, hoping it was too dark for him to notice. "Um.I'm sorry.but I still don't know your name."  
  
Now Syaoran blushed slightly. "Little Wolf" he said.  
  
Sakura nodded, smiling. She turned away and started walking towards the boulder she was going to use for her watch. "Good night, Little Wolf." She called.  
  
"Night" he called back unconsciously. He slipped over to his horse and started to unroll his bedroll. He unwrapped the blankets and laid his head down on the saddle blanket he was using as a pillow, taking one last look at the girl on the boulder whose emerald eyes sparkled like the sun in the moonlight..  
  
.............End Chapter 6  
  
Yay! I finally finished this chapter! I'm soo excited! We're finally going to be getting into the story! So please review and tell me what you all thought^^. I'm extremely happy with this chapter, which is very rare, believe me.  
  
The turkey's done so I'm going to go post this story and go eat! I'm so hungry I can just taste it! Lol, I'm such a pig...  
  
Thanks for all the suggestions for screen names. For right now I don't have any more names I need, but that most likely will change as the story progresses.  
  
*note: I made a mistake in chapter 5. In it, Tomoyo said that 'Cherry blossom doesn't have a brother.' But I forgot about Touya. What I meant was that Sakura didn't have a brother with spiky red hair and tawny colored eyes. I that didn't confuse anyone too much..  
  
Please Review!!!!!! Just go and push that button right there at the bottom of the screen! PLEASE!  
Ja Ne! ~Vixie P.S: Happy Thanksgiving!^^  
  
Upcoming Chapter: The Clouded Following 


	7. The Clouded Following

GOMEN NASAI!!!!! I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated in two months! That's a really really long time for me to not update, especially when you guys are used to me updated every week. To be honest, I don't even have a good excuse, just writer's block! I'm so sorry, I can't even begin to apologize. I really hope I haven't lost some of my reviewers out there.  
  
Here's my responses to some of your reviews of the last chapter:  
  
Wezl.Thanks. I'm always happy to get a new reviewer. I hope the wait wasn't too long.  
  
Hikaru Ayumi.Sorry about not updating as soon as you would have hoped. What was unexpected about the last chapter?  
  
Dandy Mandy.Thanks! Out of all the praise I get, I love it when people think my story is original. I may make mistakes when writing or forget a detail or something, but as long as I have a solid story plot, I'm happy. And even I'm anxious to have Syao realize Saku's condition.  
  
Anjuliet.Sorry about the wait! I hope I don't get a ton of flames for it.hehe. Thanks for the review!  
  
Sweet captor.yeah, sorry about the length. But I get contradicting opinions on that, some people like it short, and some people like them long. I never know how long to make them!^^  
  
Yamiyumetenshi.hehe, sorry about that. I don't know how to do the html formatting on my stories, so my writing gets all screwed up and squashed together. I'm going to hopefully have a friend of mine fix that on this chapter though..and thanks for the spellings too^^. I'm glad you like .Hack//Sign, I do too.^^  
  
Anonymous T.Thanks so much for all of your feedback! I love it when other people give suggestions and let me know what they think of my writing. Thanks so much for the compliments, and in later chapters I'll try to make the story line a little less chaotic.  
  
Kino Sakura.I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Don't worry, I don't plan on quitting with this story for a very long time, and even if I did, I'd let you guys know about it.  
  
Lilangelwitluv.yeah, the story is pretty confusing. The story was inspired by .Hack//Sign, so I can see where people would get a little perplexed. Basically, there was a big war in the real world, which destroyed a lot of it. People became poor and all the forests and scenery of the world was destroyed, so a computer genius named Rayna created a virtual world, sort of like an extremely advanced video game, where you could go. This world wasn't ravaged by poverty or destruction, so most people decided to live there forever, while others just switched back and forth between the real world, K'un, and the virtual world, Ch'ien. Some people, who were old fashioned, stayed in the real world. The amazing thing about Ch'ien is that it is almost like a real world. When people go into it, their bodies stay behind in the real world, and their minds are transported into Ch'ien. But, if you eat something in Ch'ien, it really feeds you and you won't get hungry in reality. It's really quite confusing. Sorry about the chaos. Feel free to email me any of your questions.  
  
Star Cherry.Thanks so much for EVERYTHING! I'm working on chapter 4 of our story too, so don't worry^^. Good job on chapter 3!  
  
Pnaixr0se.hehe, you picked the wrong time to start reading this story. I usually update every week, I promise. I just had a bad case of writer's block. But I've got tons of inspiration now, so I should be back to my normal schedule of updating soon.  
  
Sweet^sakura^star.Thanks for the suggestions for Yukito's name. A lot of people suggested the same thing, so his screename is something like that. Thanks soo much for all the compliments too, I'm glad everyone likes the plot line.  
  
Stargirl-rebels.Thanks sooo much! I love reading your reviews, they always make me smile. You'll find out more about Sakura's sickness soon, and Tomoyo and Eriol will join up with them probably in the next chapter. Sorry about the wait!  
  
If I left anyone out, sorry. My reviews have been getting lost in my email account, so I might have accidently left a few people out, and if I did, I'm sorry and I'm sure that I loved your review.  
  
I'm too lazy to write all the updates on the story again here, so just read my responses to the reviewers and you'll find out a couple things...  
  
Also, sorry if I confused you by deleting the chapter with the author's update, so now this chapter is the seventh. The administrators told me to do it, or else I'd get kicked off or something like that..  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CCS characters, but I do have rights to the story plot line and the characters of Kiran, Halma, Biret, Official Mentok, Star Blossom, etc. The setting of this story and other elements of it were inspired by the anime show .Hack//Sign.  
  
On with chapter 7..The Clouded Following.  
  
.......................................  
  
"KERRROOOOOO! You stupid mutt! Get back here with my crossbow! I swear, I'll kill you if you get slobber all over my arrows!!!!" Halma screamed as she chased the grey and white beast as he bounded around the boulder, happily drooling over Halma's prized ebony crossbow in his large jaws, oblivious to Halma's death glare.  
  
"That's it!!" she yelled, stalking over to her spirited chestnut mare and rifling through her cloth saddlebag. "Sakura, where did you put my daggers?! I'm gonna kill that dog if it's the last thing I do..slobbering all over my rare, highly valued, ebony carved crossbow that SwordSoul brought me all the way from Ragara Port." Halma cursed under her breath.  
  
Sakura sweatdropped, approaching Halma cautiously as she laughed nervously.  
  
"Ah, come on Halma. He's just a dog, he doesn't know any better, and besides if you keep chasing him he'll just think it's a game.."  
  
"Don't take his side!!" Halma interrupted, brandishing her silver dagger in her hand dangerously.  
  
Biret glanced at the hot headed blond from his position on the sun-streaked surface of the large granite rock. He rolled his eyes and called over his shoulder to the two of them, a piece of grass in the corner of his mouth.  
  
"You do realize it's just a stupid dog, right? You're acting like he's a freakin' murderer. What's the big deal anyway? So there's some drool on your stupid bow thingy, just wipe it off."  
  
Halma's face turned red with raging fury as she turned her attention to the thief relaxing on the boulder. "WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!!!?? The big deal is that bow thingy happens to be a highly valued Ragara Port weapon!" she answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Biret lifted an eyebrow lazily. "Somehow that doesn't seem neary as impressive as you seem to make it, considering we're on a hunt for the most valued weapon of all time."  
  
"WHY YOU..!!!!" Halma yelled, lunging for him with the dagger. It was all Sakura could do to keep Halma from murdering the red-haired bandit.  
  
"Just let her at him, if we're lucky maybe they'll kill each other." Syaoran spoke up from his perch atop the large, black stallion he had been riding.  
  
Sakura frowned at him as she managed to wrestle the dagger out of Halma's hands, slipping it beneath her cloak. She sighed exasperatedly. It seemed she was the only one keeping any peace between the four of them. For the last week they'd been traveling north along the Zaurus River, heading towards the Rada' Han Mountains, and they'd been fighting the entire time! Especially Halma and Biret. And Syaoran wasn't helping much either.  
  
"Hey! Give that back!" Halma yelled, unsuccessfully trying to steal her dagger back.  
  
"Enough of this." Syao stated. He dismounted and crouched down to Kero's eye level. "Kero! Come here!". Amazingly, Kero obediently trotted over to Syaoran, dropping the crossbow at his feet and sitting down calmly.  
  
Halma and Sakura gaped. "How the hell did you do that?!" Sakura exclaimed, looking at Syaoran wonderingly.  
  
Syaoran glanced at Sakura suspiciously. "Since when do you swear?"  
  
Sakura frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "What's wrong with me swearing?"  
  
Syaoran just shrugged. "You just don't seem like the type, that's all."  
  
Sakura glared even more. "And what type do I seem like?"  
  
As Syaoran started to answer, Halma interrupted him. "Oh, shut up you lovebirds and tell me how the hell you managed to get my crossbow back." She stated, squatting down to pick up her crossbow, a look of disgust crossing her face as she peered down at the drool-covered surface.  
  
Syaoran and Sakura's faces grew extremely red as they both yelled, "Her?/Him? No way!!"  
  
Then the two of them turned to each other and exclaimed in unison, "Why? What's wrong with me?!!"  
  
Biret jumped down from the rock, landing cleanly on the ground by the horses. "Jeez, just shut up already. We're already behind schedule, and we need to get to the Palace of Seiryu within the next two days or so."  
  
Halma glared at him as she mounted her horse. "Well, we wouldn't have been so far behind schedule if you didn't keep stopping for breaks!"  
  
Biret shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not my fault if I'm not used to riding horseback so often."  
  
Sakura swung up into the saddle expertly, turning her horse toward the main road and ushering her horse into a fast trot, with the others following her. "Remind me again why we're going to the Palace of Seiryu and Seiryu city?"  
  
Biret urged his dun colored stallion up next to hers. "Because the only way to get pass the Rada'Han mountains is to go through the Shinta Pass, but that pass if heavily guarded by the Ch'ien officials, and they'll already know our descriptions."  
  
"Hoe? But if that's the only pass up there, then how do we get across them?"  
  
Biret grinned at her, not noticing the heavy glare that Syaoran was aiming at him. "Well, my friend Tirak happens to know of another, secret pass behind Seiryu city. It's guarded by a huge monster supposedly, so nobody goes up there, not even the officials. But my friend assures me it's just a myth. We should be able to make it pass the mountains there with no problems."  
  
Sakura bit her lip worriedly. "This monster, .it wouldn't happen to be a ghost or anything, would it?"  
  
Biret looked at her strangely. "No, not according to the myth, if it even does exist. Why?"  
  
Before Sakura could answer, Halma jumped at the chance to get revenge for Sakura stealing her dagger.  
  
"Oh, that's easy. You see, Cherry Blossom here is especially afraid of ghosts." Halma answered simply, hiding the smile on her face.  
  
"Crimson!" Sakura glared at her over her shoulder.  
  
Biret settled his hand on Sakura's shoulder, an easy-going smile on his face.  
  
"Don't you worry little lady, no ghosts there. And if we see any, I'll be sure to make sure nothing happens to your pretty little head." He assured in his heavy accent.  
  
Syaoran abruptly urged his horse up between Biret and Sakura, turning to her as he bumped Biret out of the way. "Why are you afraid of ghosts?"  
  
Sakura looked at him levelly to see if this was a joke, but he seemed generally curious. Nonetheless, she couldn't very well tell him it was because she might become one any day now.  
  
Sakura just shook her head, a false smile plastered on her face. "Nothing, just a childhood fear. You know, too many horror movies and all that..hehe"  
  
Syaoran just frowned suspiciously as he watched her pull ahead of him, urging her horse into a full gallop as she headed down the road.  
  
"What are you hiding?" he muttered to himself before following after her.  
  
....................................  
  
"Biret! Did you say we're going to see Biret?!" Star Blossom asked anxiously.  
  
Kiran glanced at her with a frown on his face. "So you do know him then?"  
  
Star Blossom, whose real name was Masaya, blushed. "Well, I guess you could say that.."  
  
Tomoyo looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"  
  
Masaya glanced down at the ground, not wanting to look into her brother's eyes. "Well, .um...I guess you could say we've met a couple of times.."  
  
Kiran couldn't take it anymore. "Where?! Where could you possibly have met a thief like that!? I know you, Masaya, and you would never steal anything from anyone, much less join a gang of lying, cheating, sniveling."  
  
"ENOUGH! You don't even know him!!! He's not as bad as you think he is! But, of course, you wouldn't know anyway since you seem to assume everyone except your precious girlfriend is an evil villain!!" she yelled angrily.  
  
Kiran, Eriol, and Tomoyo's jaws dropped open at her outburst. Eriol was the first one to respond.  
  
"Masaya, exactly what is your relationship with.."  
  
"Just drop it!" Masaya yelled, blushing furiously as she galloped ahead of them, the hooves of her horse pounding the road furiously as the passed the first traveler's checkpoint.  
  
"Masaya! Get back here!" Kiran yelled as the three of them chased after her.  
  
....................................  
  
Two Days later..  
  
"Biret!"  
  
"Tirak!"  
  
The two friends greeted each other warmly, happily catching up on the past couple of weeks while Syao, Saku, and Halma followed from a distance. Halma was preoccupied with rubbing her crossbow furiously with an old rag, trying to clean it to it's original condition.  
  
"So, where exactly are we?" Syaoran asked as he and Sakura hung back, glancing around at the wonderous castle around them.  
  
Sakura turned from observing some of the statues around the entrance to what looked like a ballroom. "It's called the Palace of Seiryu. Haven't you ever heard of the four Chinese gods, Suzaku, Seiryu, Byako, and Genbu? I thought you said you were originally Chinese." Sakura looked at him questioningly.  
  
Syaoran nodded. "I am, and I do know the four gods,.but why are they in Ch'ien?"  
  
Sakura thought for a moment, trying to organize a way to portray the legend of Rayn. "Well, there are some people that think that Rayn was actually a goddess, while there are others who just think she was some type of computer genius. As the legend goes, whoever Rayn was, she fiercely believed in the presence of the ancient gods and goddesses. She was said to have traveled the world, looking for legendary items and ancient scrolls. Some people think that she discovered how to create Ch'ien through her adventures. Everybody's opinion varies, but when she created this world, she created four great cities, spread out throughout Ch'ien. They were supposed to be the largest cities in all of Ch'ien, but in actuality, some of them grew larger than others."  
  
Syaoran vaguely recalled the map in the dirt that Kiran had drawn for him. "Where are these cities?"  
  
Sakura continued as she glanced up at the stained glass windows in the vaulted ceiling. "Well, this is the Palace of Seiryu, the Dragon. Since it's close to the Rada' Han mountains, it's become the second largest of the Four Cities. You saw how large the city outside was."  
  
Syaoran nodded. Seiryu city had been HUGE! He'd never seen a city so big. There were stone houses, walls, ramparts, marketplaces, plazas, and temples that seemed to reach to the heavens. It was even bigger than Hong Kong, or Tokyo. It's was like something straight out of a fairy tale.  
  
"Then there's the Palace of Byako, which is back down south, at the very southeastern corner of Ch'ien on the side of the Bashura Ocean, in the bottom of the Pri Nuta Region. That city is the smallest of the Four Cities, but it's still bigger than most. That city is home to the Desert Wanderers, as they're called here. They're like a race of nomads, just wandering the deserts from coast to coast. You don't see them up here though, the closest they get is Mi'hen City, which is a couple of miles east of Souta Village."  
  
Syaoran stopped to look at a large, tiled fountain of a woman in flowing robes, her head tilted up toward the heavens, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides.  
  
Sakura stopped next to him. "Rayn, right?" Syaoran confirmed.  
  
Sakura nodded. "That's her. In these big cities you'll see her everywhere."  
  
Syaoran looked closer, thinking that she looked somewhat familiar when Sakura moved on, calling him.  
  
"We shouldn't fall too far behind them," she said when he caught up with her, "it's easy to get lost in here."  
  
Syaoran didn't doubt that fact at all, gazing at the roaming corridors that seemed to go on for miles.  
  
"Next is the Palace of Genbu, the third largest. It's on the other side of the mountains, at the northwest corner of Ch'ien. They even have a pretty decent sized port on the coast of the Nebiros Ocean. They say that Genbu's City is filled with mercenaries and bandits though, some people have nicknamed it the City of Deceit." Sakura went on, watching as Halma yelled at a servant who had run into her.  
  
Syaoran turned his head from the tall, stone pillars on either side of them in the great hall. "And are we going to be visiting this City of Deceit?"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "I hope not. I don't think we'll have any need to travel there."  
  
Syaoran folded his arms across his chest. "So where are we going?"  
  
Sakura examined the tiled patterns on the floor. "We're going to Rayn's Tower."  
  
Syaoran looked at her questioningly. "Rayn's Tower?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "Yep." She sighed. "It's a huge fortress in the middle of the Ipirian Mountains."  
  
Syaoran took one look at her emerald eyes and frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"  
  
Sakura blushed guiltily. "That obvious?"  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "No, I can just tell when you're lying."  
  
Sakura blushed again before sighing and continuing. "Well, the Ipirian Mountains aren't exactly a very welcoming place.."  
  
Syaoran snorted. "What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Well,.it's kind of a forbidden area."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, there aren't any criminals or anything, so I'm not really sure why they'd call it something like that when there aren't any."  
  
"Sakura, if I'm going to travel somewhere, I'd rather know what I'm getting into rather than walking in blind." Syao said warningly.  
  
Sakura frowned. She wasn't planning on having the three of them go with her, it was too dangerous. And if she told him, she somehow knew he wouldn't want her going. Still, he couldn't force her to not go, and he did deserve to know, she supposed...  
  
"Well, some people just think it's odd that the last couple people who have gone there have disappeared, that's all."  
  
"just a few people?"  
  
"Well...more like everyone who's ever gone there, actually."  
  
Syaoran frowned, worry etched in the lines of his face. He didn't want Sakura disappearing in a range of forbidding mountains. He looked back at her face, and he could already tell she knew what he was thinking.  
  
Before he could say anything she responded to his unanswered reply.  
  
"Look, I have to go, and I don't expect you to go with me, but there is nothing you can do to stop me."  
  
Syaoran sighed. "Why do you need this weapon anyway?"  
  
"I don't need the weapon so much as I need the money I'll get when I sell it."  
  
"You expect me to believe you're so greedy that you'd risk your life to obtain it?"  
  
Sakura gulped at the mention of risking her life. 'Not that it would matter that much anyway.' she thought despondently. Suddenly she pushed those negative thoughts out of her mind, resolving not to give up hope yet. She put on one of her famous false smiles and nodded to Syaoran. "Yep, That's me! Greedy 'till the end."  
  
"Yeah right. I don't believe you."  
  
Sakura's face fell. "You don't?"  
  
Syaoran shook his head. "Nope. But seeing how you're not going to tell me why, I guess I'll just have to settle for that."  
  
Sakura gave him an unexpected answer. "I'm sorry, Little Wolf."  
  
He gave her a surprised look. "Sorry for what?"  
  
"For not telling you the truth. I would if I could.."  
  
Syaoran shrugged, giving her a small, sideways smile that lit up his face. "Don't worry about it, you can tell me another time. And call me Syaoran."  
  
Sakura smiled, a real smile. She hadn't smiled like that for ages, but she couldn't help it. He looked gorgeous with that smile on his face, it was infectious. She wished he could smile like that more often.  
  
Syaoran was thinking the same thing, for once he could tell Sakura was really smiling, and he wanted to see more of it. He decided to change the subject.  
  
"So, if we're going on what seem to me like such a long journey, then I'm going to need something better than this puny dagger." He said, pulling it out of it's small scabbard on his belt.  
  
Sakura laughed, making Syaoran smile again. "Are you sure you can handle something else?" she teased.  
  
Syaoran gave a look of mock hurt. "Of course I could! What would make you think otherwise?"  
  
Sakura had to stifle a laugh. "Maybe the fact that you were captured by one thief who not only is smaller than you, but also only had a rusty old sword and an old pistol."  
  
Syaoran grunted, but smiled slightly seeing Sakura trying very hard not to laugh.  
  
Suddenly Sakura bumped into Halma, who had apparently stopped.  
  
"Oh! Sorry Halma, I didn't see you, why'd you stop here...."  
  
Sakura's voice faded when she saw the scene in front of her. A man with jet black hair and crystal pale blue eyes was holding a sword point at the throat of the man called Tirak. Biret now had his pistol pointed at the man, and the man's bodyguards were all aiming at Biret. Halma's crossbow was aimed at the head of the lead bodyguard, and the man with black hair had a small throwing dagger in his other hand, aimed at Halma.  
  
Sakura could easily see it was a stalemate, and that Tirak seemed to be at the center of it. Her Kodachi's were instantly in her hands, aimed at two of the bodyguards, and Syaoran moved up beside her, his silver dagger poised to hit another bodyguard in the back. Sakura somehow felt safer with Syaoran next to her, but she knew that one small dagger wasn't going to protect him if they were attacked. She slipped one foot a little further forward, ready to jump in if anyone targeted him.  
  
Suddenly both Syaoran and Sakura felt a swordpoint at their backs, and a small, feminine voice spoke to them, a voice that sounded extremely familiar to Sakura.  
  
"Drop your weapons."  
  
"Star Saber?"  
  
....................................  
  
"Knighted Guardian! Stop fooling around! We have to go find Cherry Blossom, and we can't just stop every time you feel like messing around!" Meriko's cherry voice scolded.  
  
"Yeah Daddy! We have to find Auntie Sakura!" Ayna pitched in, watching her father flailing his hands above his head at a large bird.  
  
"MESSING AROUND??!!! You think I want this insane bird attacking me!!!!" Touya yelled angrily trying to murder the bird pecking at this head. "I hate this place!!! Sakura is never coming back here as long as I live!" he screamed at the bird, as if that would make it go away.  
  
Fujitaka laughed. "Come on, Touya. Souta Village is just over that hill, and we should be able to find someone in the village to tell us what happened yesterday."  
  
Sonomi glared at him. "Are you sure? You're always getting lost, how do we know we can trust you?"  
  
Ayna started to run up the hill. "Come on! Auntie Sakura needs our help!" she yelled cutely, turning back to them. "Hurry up!"  
  
....................................  
  
"Cherry Blossom?"  
  
Sakura turned around only to see her friend Rita standing behind her, lowering her swords.  
  
"Rita! It is you!" Sakura exclaimed happily, hugging her friend.  
  
Rita blushed. "Cherry Blossom, you know we're not supposed to use our real names!"  
  
Sakura smiled. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. How did you get here?"  
  
Rita grinned. "Amethyst Blade sent me an email, telling me to meet her at the Rada' Han Mountains at the Shinta Pass and that she was looking for you. But.," Rita blushed with an embarrassed look on her face. "But you know how bad I am at teleporting into Ch'ien, and I ended up in a closet here in the Palace this morning." She laughed.  
  
Sakura giggled. "Well, for once I'm glad you ended up somewhere else. Did To, I mean Amethyst Blade tell you where she was?"  
  
Rita shook her head. "Sorry, she just told me to meet her at the Shinta Pass. I guess that's where they thought you'd be going."  
  
Sakura nodded. "Well, I guess it might be better that way."  
  
Rita looked at her questioningly. "Why?"  
  
Sakura glanced around at everyone staring at the two of them. She sweatdropped and whispered to Rita, "I'll tell you later. Now why don't you get this straightened out and tell me why we were being held at swordpoint." Sakura gestured toward the stalemate in the center of the room.  
  
Rita looked where Sakura pointed and gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm sorry. Amiboshi!" she called the the black haired man. As soon as she called him, four of the bodyguards glared at her. "I,..I..mean Prince Amiboshi." She corrected herself, "Stop! Don't worry, these people are my friends, they won't hurt you, I swear!" Rita said.  
  
Prince Amiboshi turned his head to look at Rita before nodding and lowering his weapons to the ground. The Bodyguards reluctantly followed suit.  
  
"Halma, Biret! You too!" Sakura yelled warningly.  
  
Halma reluctantly slipped her crossbow under her cloak, and Biret hesitated before slipping his pistol into his belt. "Whatever you say, little lady."  
  
Sakura ignored him and turned back toward Rita questioningly.  
  
Rita smiled. "I know, I have some explaining to do. But first, mind introducing me to your friends?"  
  
Sakura smiled. "Oh, yeah. This is Little Wolf, and the two behind us are Crimson Heart and , uh,.Biret, what is your screename?"  
  
Biret only shook his head. "Just call me Biret for now."  
  
Rita nodded. "I'm Star Saber. And that.." she pointed to the black haired man who had moved up beside her, "is Prince Amiboshi of the Seiryu Royal Family."  
  
Sakura smiled, she could tell Rita already had a thing for the tall, blue- eyed prince. She bowed slightly at the waist. "Please to meet you. Sorry about aiming a weapon at you." She smiled amiably.  
  
The Prince smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it. Although I think some explaining is in order. Why don't we retire to the library, I can have a few of my servants get us something to eat while we talk."  
  
Biret immediately smiled at the mention of food. "Sounds like a plan to me." He said eagerly. " Just point me in the direction."  
  
The Prince nodded and starting leading them down a large hallway.  
  
Syaoran sidled up to Sakura, bending his head down close to her ear so he could whisper. "Are we sure we can trust this guy?"  
  
Sakura could barely hear what he was saying as she shivered pleasantly feeling his warm breath on her ear. She shook her head to clear her mind before answering.  
  
"I hope so."  
  
....................................  
  
End of Chapter 7.  
  
So, what did u guys think? I made this one a little longer as payback for not updating. There wasn't much action, but there will be more in later chapters, believe me.  
  
I need screenames for Fujitaka and Sonomi.  
  
Also, go check out a story I co-wrote with another author, Star Cherry. It's called, To Save the World, and it should be on my favorite stories list if you click on my profile. We wrote it under the pename Two Girls Fusion, and we have three chapters done but nobody's read it! So go review!!! It's a different type of story than this, but it's a really cute story, so go and read it, pretty please!!  
  
And don't forget to review this story! (A/N: If I even have any readers left..) Just go push that little button and tell me what you think. ARIGATO!  
  
Ja Ne! ~Vixie 


	8. Rayn's Decision

OHAYO!!! I'm so glad to finally be putting up chapter 8 of Real Love is Just a Dream. I've been kinda preoccupied the last two weeks with getting my other story up and running, but I still consider this story my first priority. I just enjoy writing this one a lot more, that's all.  
  
Anyway, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I was kinda surprised; I only got one suggestion for the screenames of Fujitaka and Sonomi, so I guess I'll just have to work with that. Thanks Yamiyumetenshi!  
  
Here are my responses to the last chapter's reviews...  
  
ANIME OBSESSION FANTASY..  
  
Thanks so much for the review! You're one of my only reviewers who read both of my stories, and I really appreciate it!!^^ Sorry for the wait on this chapter, I hope you like it.  
  
ANJULIET.  
  
Lol, sorry for the long update on the last chapter, I just couldn't think of anything. But not anymore! I'm bursting with inspiration! Hehe. Thanks for the review and enjoy this chapter.  
  
YAMIYUMETENSHI.  
  
Thanks for the suggestions on the screenames, lol. I thought they were really funny. Oh, and I did actually get the idea for the four Chinese gods from Fushigi Yugi. Same with the name Souta from Inuyasha. I'll mention that in this chapter's disclaimer..anyway, thanks for the review and enjoy this chapter.  
  
CHERRYBERRY-CHAN..  
  
I luv you!!! You were the only person who reviewed the story I co-wrote with Star Cherry!!! At least, I think that was you, lol. Thanks so much! Enjoy this chapter!  
  
STAR CHERRY..  
  
Thanks so much for all your constant support!!! As soon as I get this chapter uploaded, I'll start on our story!! I always have so much fun writing it.^^. I want to see your site again too, if I can just find the URL..it's geocites, right? Anyway, thanks for the review and have fun on your trip! I hope you like this chapter too!  
  
LITTLEPUP..  
  
Lol, I laughed when I read your review 'cuz I always did the same thing when I read fan fiction. I'd read the whole story, but I wouldn't review until later chapters, hehe. I'm so lazy...anyway, thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoy the story. Hope you like this one!^^  
  
ANNELEE..  
  
Thanks so much!^^ I hope this update wasn't too long in coming, and if it was, then hopefully it was worth the wait. Enjoy!!  
  
SWEET-CAPTOR..  
  
Thanks! The last chapter was kinda different from the ones before it. Thanks for all the constant review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!  
  
Okay, I think that's everybody. If I didn't get someone, I'm really sorry, my review email thingy is kinda screwed up.  
  
Now that I'm back to a regular schedule, I should be able to get a chapter of this updated at least every two weeks, but I'll try to get it up every weekend.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Card Captor Sakura characters, even though I wish I did. Also, certain ideas were inspired by the anime .Hack//Sign, as well as additional imagery from the shows Fushigi Yugi and Inuyasha.  
  
Enjoy!!  
  
....................................  
  
"The one with whom no hope is destined shall carry the hope of all humanity within the gifts of long past."  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" a man with blonde hair asked.  
  
"How should I know? I'm just reading the damn thing." his black haired companion answered.  
  
"This is the rare prophecy that the curator was talking about? It's just some stupid stone with a bunch of crap on it." he snorted.  
  
The other man shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we get the money we were promised for it, I could care less what it says."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's grab it and get out of here, this place is giving me the creeps.."  
  
"Right. C'mon, help me pick it up..."  
  
After a few moments of useless pulling and pushing, the two of them gave up, wiping the sweat from their brows.  
  
"How the hell can something that small be that heavy?!!" the blonde haired one commented.  
  
"Maybe it's made of iron or steel or something.."  
  
"It just looks like an ordinary rock to me."  
  
"Yeah, well......" he was cut off.  
  
His companion continued to look at the rock. "Well what?"  
  
When there was no answer, the man turned around to find that his companion was gone.  
  
"Blade? Blade, you there? Hey! Where'd you run off to?" he called.  
  
After a few minutes the eerie silence started to press in on him.  
  
"C'mon Blade, very funny. It's not a joke anymore, just come out, this place is really scaring me.."  
  
Still no answer.  
  
The man set his pack down on the ground and took a few steps forward toward the dark forest surrounding the ruins.  
  
Suddenly, the sound of a voice echoed through his mind.  
  
'You have desecrated the prophecy, LEAVE THIS PLACE!!!' it screamed in his head.  
  
The man covered his ears in vain, trying to block out the sultry voice in his head.  
  
"STOP IT!! WHO ARE YOU?!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH BLADE?!!!"  
  
His cries fell on deaf ears, and in an instant, the man was gone, disappeared into the thin, tense air of the haunted ruins.  
  
....................................  
  
"Did you succeed?" a flat voice commented.  
  
"Yes. I succeeded." The sultry voice replied.  
  
"Good, tell me." The flat voice continued, its person hidden in shadow.  
  
"The one with whom no hope is destined, shall carry the hope of all humanity within the gifts long past."  
  
"We need to find the prophet. Where is he?" the flat voice answered, mulling over the prophecy in her mind.  
  
"Kinoti says he is working on it. The prophet will be found soon enough, my lady." The sultry voice bowed her head, letting her dark brown locks fall around her beautiful face.  
  
"Kiyuri, I do not need to remind you of the importance of this mission. If we do not find him, our cause is lost."  
  
Kiyuri nodded. "I know, mistress."  
  
"Good, then you will accompany Kinoti and find the prophet before we continue on with our plan, alright?"  
  
Kiyuri reluctantly nodded. "Yes, mistress. May I ask what you will be doing?"  
  
"I will be deciphering this new information, and finding the next Rayn stone to find the rest of this prophecy. Now stop your insolence and obey my orders."  
  
"Yes, my lady." Kiyuri bowed deeply before disappearing in a cloud of teal smoke.  
  
"It is almost time, soon the Divinity will fall, and Chaos will ensue."  
  
....................................  
  
"You're such a pig, you know that?" Halma said sardonically, watching with disgust as Biret inhaled another takoyaki.  
  
"I could say the same thing about you," Biret said with a mouthful of food, gesturing at Halma's empty plate, which had been full only five seconds ago.  
  
"What did you say?!!!!" Halma growled as Sakura nudged her arm forcefully with her elbow.  
  
"Stuff it, you two." She said under her breath so that only they could hear. She turned back to Rita and Prince Amiboshi.  
  
"So, you're not going to the Shinta Pass?" Rita asked, obviously confused.  
  
Sakura nodded. "We can't, instead we're going to use the pass behind Seiryu castle."  
  
Rita's eyed widened. "There's another pass?"  
  
Before Sakura could answer, Prince Amiboshi interrupted them. He addressed his twelve body guards.  
  
"Men, leave us. We need to talk in private."  
  
The men nodded reluctantly, leaving the room and shutting the door behind them.  
  
"They won't be able to hear us from out there. I don't want to discuss this in front of anyone else." He explained.  
  
Rita turned to the black-haired man sitting next to her. "So it's true then?"  
  
Amiboshi nodded. "Yes, it is. However," and here he glanced pointedly at Tirak and Biret on one of the lavish couches, "I don't see how you all know of it. It is a royal family secret."  
  
Tirak and Biret laughed nervously. "Well, um.you see.uh..." they stuttered.  
  
Sakura groaned. 'Great, now we're gonna get thrown in jail 'cause these idiots like to eavesdrop.'  
  
Amiboshi waved a hand dismissively, as if he could read her thoughts. "Don't worry, I'm not angry. I'm just curious to know, that's all."  
  
Tirak calmed substantially. "I overheard a bunch of handmaids discussing it in one of the secret gardens. I believe they were Lady Luneya's handmaids, if I recall correctly."  
  
Amiboshi frowned. "Yes, well, Lady Luneya loves to spread around chaotic gossip like that. I wish I could do something about it, but messing with Divinity affairs is not something I'm willing to do."  
  
"Divinity?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Of course, the Divinity. You don't know of them?" Amiboshi asked, surprised.  
  
"Oh, Little Wolf is a new player, he doesn't know much about Ch'ien." Sakura explained hastily.  
  
"Oh, I see. Wonderful, it's refreshing to see that some of the more old- fashioned K'unians are changing their ways."  
  
Syaoran wasn't sure if that was an insult or not, so he decided to dismiss it. "What are K'unians?"  
  
Sakura turned to him. "It's what people who live in Ch'ien call people who still remain in K'un."  
  
Syaoran nodded. "So, I still don't know what the Divinity is."  
  
Amiboshi nodded. "Let me give you a quick history of Ch'ien. You know that Rayn was the one who discovered it, correct?"  
  
Syaoran nodded.  
  
"Well, after the four great cities were created, and the world started to thrive, Rayn created the 12 Rayna Weapons to distribute to her 12 followers. She didn't need weapons, for in Ch'ien, Rayn controls the spirits of the elements. Yet, she feared for the lives of her followers at that time, because people in Ch'ien were starting to up rise, wanting a position of power for themselves."  
  
"So that's why the Rayna Weapons were created?"  
  
"Yes, to protect her loyal disciples. Each of her twelve followers received a different weapon that she customized for all of them. They were all of equal power to each other, except for one."  
  
Sakura pulled her cloak closer around her, being sure to hide the hilts of her Kodachi's.  
  
"This one was a triple bladed sword. Nobody is quite sure what it was called, it was only created for a short time. It had more power than all of the other weapons combined together."  
  
"But why did Rayn create a weapon with so much power?" Syaoran asked.  
  
Rita took over, with stars in her eyes. "Love!"  
  
"Love?" Syaoran asked, disbelievingly.  
  
Amiboshi sighed. "Yes, or so that's how the legend goes. Her group of followers consisted of six women and six men. However, she fell in love with one of her disciples, and he fell in love with her. Rayn wanted to protect him more than anything, so she created a weapon that could not be rivaled."  
  
Halma sat up straighter. "I've never heard this part of the legend. What was the man's name?"  
  
"Nobody knows," Amiboshi continued, "after he received the weapon, it corrupted him. He became greedy and selfish, and started wanting the power of the other followers for himself."  
  
"Rayn realized what was happening," Rita added, "and confronted him. The corruption of the weapon overpowered his love for her, and he tried to kill her."  
  
Sakura felt a pang of sorrow for the brave girl who had to face the one she loved most of all.  
  
"Rayn had customized each weapon so that they took power from their carriers. For example, one of her followers was a dragon, and his weapon took it's power from the strength of the dragon's rage."  
  
"Wait, you mean not all of the followers were humans?" Halma asked.  
  
"No, on the contrary. Out of all twelve followers, only four were humans, including the man Rayn fell in love with. The others varied in species."  
  
"So what does this have to do with the Divinity?" Syaoran continued.  
  
"I'm getting to that. When Rayn created the triple blade for her love, she customized it so that it's power would feed off of their love for each other. But, you see, since it had so much more power than the others, it needed a large source of emotion."  
  
"And his love wasn't strong enough." Sakura finished sadly.  
  
Amiboshi nodded. "Yes. It broke Rayn's heart, but she knew that she had to do something. The man she loved had already killed six of the followers, and had taken their weapons. Without their proper power sources, the weapons became corrupt, and started to feed off of the evil intentions and emotions of it's wielder."  
  
"So, Rayn gathered the last remaining five followers, and her power together. She faced him, and killed him. Rayn had to use all of her powers to do it, and she sacrificed her life in the process."  
  
Sakura felt a certain affinity for the red-haired heroine. She knew what it was like to have to confront something you didn't want to.  
  
"With her last breath, Rayn destroyed the triple blade, breaking off it's central blade and power source, and locking it away within her fortress. Some people think it's still there, some people say that it disappeared with her death."  
  
"What about the other part of the weapon?" Biret asked pointedly, glancing at Sakura in the corner of his eye.  
  
Sakura felt Biret, Halma, Rita, and Syaoran's eyes on her, but she kept her eyes down at the tiled floor.  
  
Amiboshi thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Without that central blade, they became useless. It just kinda disappeared from history after that."  
  
Tirak stopped for a moment, then piped up. "Wait, that's not entirely true."  
  
Six pairs of eyes turned to him, all with surprise and one with dread.  
  
"I remember hearing another rumor. You ever heard of the Angels of the Light?"  
  
Biret jumped in his seat and Syaoran's eyes widened.  
  
Sakura shook her head, barely noticing Syaoran's weird reaction next to her. "No, what are they?"  
  
"It's a group of so-called priestesses. They say they're descendants of the Divinity, although most people don't think that's true. Not much is known about them, except that they have a large city down in the Samara Desert."  
  
"What about them?" Halma asked.  
  
"Well, I heard that the other two blades were passed down to them, and that they have it with them right now for safe-keeping so that it will never fall into the wrong hands again."  
  
Sakura's head swam. How the hell did her father get such a powerful weapon from such an elite group?  
  
"Where did you hear that from?" Biret asked, his voice somewhat hard.  
  
Tirak didn't notice Biret's tone. "Actually, it was from those handmaids of Lady Luneya's. It was the same day I heard them talking about the other pass behind Seiryu city."  
  
Amiboshi sighed. "I wish she wouldn't talk about such things."  
  
Syaoran mulled over what he had just learned, and then noticed something.  
  
"Wait, you still haven't told me what the Divinity is"  
  
Amiboshi looked at him. "Oh, well, the Divinity is the name for the five remaining followers of Rayn."  
  
Syaoran's jaw dropped. "You mean they're still alive?"  
  
Amiboshi nodded. "Oh yes, Rayn somehow managed to grant them immortality in this world. Ever since she and her love died, they've become the most powerful beings in all of Ch'ien. You've seen them before."  
  
"I have?"  
  
"Yes, the group had many names. The Five Followers. The Divinity. The Pendant. The Pentagon. And," he added cryptically, "The Oracles."  
  
....................................  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GO IN??!!!" Mei Lin yelled at the poor official.  
  
Official Kiryk (A/N; remember him?) gulped nervously. The hot-headed girl in front of him looked about ready to murder him.  
  
"I'm.I'm sorry, m'am, but nobody is allowed to see Official Mentok unless you have an appointment to see him."  
  
"DO YOU THINK I CARE?! MY FIANCE IS ON HIS MOST WANTED LIST!!!" She yelled, breathing heavily.  
  
Official Kiryk looked surprised. "Really? What's his screename?"  
  
Mei Lin stopped, remembering that she didn't know.  
  
"Um, well, you see he's never been in Ch'ien before and he disappeared before I had a chance to find out his screename.."  
  
Official Kiryk's frown returned. "Nice try, but pretending that you know one of the criminals is a poor excuse to see Official Mentok."  
  
"But.but it's not an excuse!!" she yelled helplessly.  
  
Official Kiryk ignored her. "Look , we don't have time to deal with people like you. The main road is a little ways south of here, good bye." He dismissed as he disappeared through the door of the large Official Headquarters, locking the door.  
  
Mei Lin stomped her foot frustratingly. "ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!! That stupid Syaoran! I'm going to kill him for this.." She growled, ignoring the fact that it was initially her fault that he was even in this place.  
  
She headed towards the main road and walked along the beaten path despondently, thinking of all the things she could do to Syaoran when she found him. When Yelan had found out that Syaoran had missed work for the past couple of days, Mei Lin had covered for him by saying that he was sick, and that it was so contagious that she couldn't see him. She'd told Yelan that it was nothing to worry about, but Yelan was a smart woman and would figure it out sooner or later.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hoof beats pounding the ground behind her. She turned around to see if maybe it was one of the officials who would know something, but she was surprised instead to see a familiar face riding up on a large horse.  
  
"Eriol? Is that you?"  
  
Eriol pulled his horse up at the sound of his name. He looked down and his jaw dropped. "Mei Lin? What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
Mei Lin placed her hands on her hips as Tomoyo, Kiran, and Masaya pulled up beside Eriol.  
  
"I'm looking for your idiot cousin!!" she yelled angrily.  
  
Eriol's surprised frown was replaced with a huge grin as he broke into a fit of laughter.  
  
"Syaoran?!" he laughed out loud. "Yeah right! That guy wouldn't set foot in Ch'ien!!" he managed to get out, almost falling off of his horse he was laughing so hard.  
  
Mei Lin suddenly adopted a look of remorse. "Well, that's not entirely true."  
  
Eriol calmed down seeing that she was serious. "What?"  
  
Mei Lin cast her eyes down at the ground. "Well, I kinda threatened to get Yelan to take the company away from him if he didn't come in with me."  
  
Eriol's jaw dropped again. "You mean Syaoran actually came in to Ch'ien?!!!"  
  
Mei Lin just nodded.  
  
"When?"  
  
Mei Lin sighed. "A couple of days ago. We were supposed to meet somewhere, but he never showed up, so I went looking for him. I couldn't find him anywhere, so I left thinking that maybe he'd gone back to K'un. But he's not there! I came back here the next day, and he was on the Most Wanted List!!!" she yelled hopelessly.  
  
Suddenly a look of suspicion clouded Eriol's face. "Are you sure?"  
  
Mei Lin nodded. "His exact description was on there. The report said that he had been in Souta Village."  
  
It dawned on Eriol suddenly. "Shit" he cursed under his breath. He whirled around in the saddle to face Kiran.  
  
"Kiran! What was that guy's screename that you said went to look for Crimson Heart?"  
  
Kiran thought for a moment. "Little Wolf, I think. He said he was trying to find a restaurant called 'La Pajara.'"  
  
Mei Lin jumped up excitedly. "That's where we were supposed to meet!"  
  
Tomoyo put the pieces together. "You mean your cousin is that unidentified guy with Cherry Blossom?!"  
  
Eriol nodded sadly. "Things just got a hell of a lot more complicated."  
  
....................................  
  
"Hold on, there were only three oracles when I saw them." Syaoran countered.  
  
Amiboshi sighed and nodded. "Yes, well, there USED to be five Oracles. Unfortunately, one of them disappeared, and another claimed that she was no longer needed and left after an argument with the others." He sighed again. "And that would be Lady Luneya, the Shadow Priestess."  
  
Sakura's eyes widened. "You mean the Lady Luneya is one of the Divinity?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Prince Amiboshi rubbed his temples. "Yes, unfortunately. She is quite a selfish woman, and after she left her position as Oracle, she came here and demanded to be treated as a queen. It wasn't until she came that we learned the truth of the Oracles."  
  
"The truth?" Syaoran asked.  
  
"Yes, like the fact that they were once Rayn's followers, and that they had been granted immortality. But that's not all they were granted."  
  
"What do you mean?" Halma said suspiciously.  
  
"Well, when Rayn died, she gave up some of her power to each of the Five. She didn't give up all of her power, because that would be too much, but she gave them enough to be able to use the power of an element."  
  
"An element?" Tirak asked.  
  
"Yes. Each of the five became a priestess wielding the power of one element. Water, Wind, Earth, Shadow, and Light. Obviously, Lady Luneya is called the Shadow Priestess for a reason."  
  
"And what about that priestess who disappeared?" Sakura found herself asking.  
  
"That was the Cerulean Priestess of Water, Mtayna."  
  
"And nobody knows what happened to her?"  
  
Amiboshi shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid not. She disappeared about three years ago."  
  
Sakura realized with a start that three years ago she had found out that she may never live past the age of 20.  
  
Sakura shook the idea from her head, absorbing everything she had just learned. This was going to be a much larger adventure than she had ever thought. She just hoped that she had enough time.  
  
After a long silence, Sakura stood up. Everyone's eyes turned to her. She was suddenly very apprehensive. Ever since she found out that the kodachi's her father had given her were worth so much, she'd given up everything to find the central blade. But now, it turned out that it may not be such a good idea to go and get the weapon after all, if it could do so much damage. But, she still needed to find the weapon herself, even if just to make sure that no one else could ever use it.  
  
Perhaps she could give it to the administrators, or someone who would keep it safe for future generations of people. Ordinarily, she would have left it where it was, but something in her heart was warning her, she had to find the weapon, and fast. However, if she was going to find the blade, she was going to need help, there was no way she'd make it to Rayn's Tower without help, and she needed to figure all of this out. About the Oracles, Rayn, everything. Somehow she knew it had everything to do with her, and there was no avoiding it.  
  
She had to involve them, but the last thing she wanted to do was put anyone into danger. Ever since she found out about her disease, Sakura had hated admitting her weakness, she hated asking for help. But now wasn't the time to be stubborn, especially if it put the entire world of Ch'ien, which so many people relied on, in danger.  
  
She could at least give them a choice to back down, she thought. But it would raise questions, she knew. She'd have to explain everything, EVERYTHING.  
  
She sighed and gulped, deciding that the best way to do it was to just launch right into it, no hesitation.  
  
She gave one glance at Rita to make sure that the Prince was trustworthy, but Rita had always been a great judge of character.  
  
Rita suddenly realized what Sakura was going to do. "Sakura, no! You can't!"  
  
"Rita, I have to." She said sadly, but resolutely.  
  
Sakura deftly flipped her double Kodachi's out into her hands letting the hilts with the twin water dragon designs catch the light flowing over her from the large windows on the North wall that she was facing.  
  
Tirak, Rita, and especially Amiboshi gasped.  
  
Sakura took one look at Syaoran, wishing that she hadn't involved him at all. Oh well, too late for regrets.  
  
"My name is Sakura Kinomoto, as you know. I don't exactly know how to ask for help, so.I'll just start by explaining, I guess. I am seventeen years old, and.and I am about do die," Sakura started, watching as a tear escaped Rita's eyes when she heard her, "I have a disease in the real world, and I don't have much time left. There was a surgery that might have worked, but my family didn't have enough money. So, I came here to try and find the other blade that goes to this weapon, and sell it to raise the money. Unfortunately, with what you've just told me, it's not going to be that simple."  
  
Syaoran's mind went dark. He barely understood a word she was saying after the words 'going to die' rang in his ears. He could not believe what he was hearing. She was DYING?! How? Why? Since when? How could she not have told him? She didn't deserve this! Of all people, she was the last person who deserved this. His fist clenched with anger at the fact that there was nothing he could do. He was surprised at how angry he was. He tried to shake off the feeling, but it was no use. His heart felt like it was being torn into a thousand pieces and flung off of a cliff above a valley of jagged rocks and rubble.  
  
"I don't know what'll happen when I put the three blades together, and as much as I want to live, I don't want to unleash that power on Ch'ien again," Sakura continued. "So, I think I need to find out more about this, and about what happened all those years ago. I need to find out where these came from," she gestured to the weapons in her hands, "and how my father was able to obtain them."  
  
She hesitated, a lump forming in her throat. "I.I can't go back to the real world, and I have a feeling my father wouldn't answer me anyway." She turned to Tirak. "Do you know where this city is? The one with the Angels of the Light?"  
  
Before Tirak could say no, Biret stood up. His goofy smile was gone, replaced with a hard, solemn stare. "I do." He said quietly. "I can take you there."  
  
Sakura nodded, not trusting her voice for a moment. She swallowed her sadness and addressed the group again.  
  
"I don't want any of you to get hurt, but.but I'm going to need some help. I'm asking you all to help me, but you can all refuse if you want to, I won't hold it against you." She said sadly.  
  
The room was deathly silent as everyone took in this latest information. Syaoran was the first to speak.  
  
He stood up. "I'm coming with you." He said simply, hardly realizing what he was doing. His mind only told him one thing. He had to stay with her.  
  
Sakura's heart broke. She had wanted him to say no, to go home. Of all people, she didn't want him to get hurt. She didn't know why, but her heart was torn between relief and sadness. She turned to him, looking into those amber eyes of his.  
  
"Little Wolf,.are.are you sure? Don't you have a family? A home to go back to?" she asked, desperate for him to change his mind, and at the same time hoping that he wouldn't.  
  
Syaoran looked back into her emerald eyes and felt more at home than he ever had in his life.  
  
"I don't have a life worth much to me in K'un. I've never done anything really important, and for once, I want to be part of something bigger than corporations and contracts." He looked out the window. "I'm coming with you Cherry Blossom."  
  
She didn't trust her voice, so she simply nodded, wanting very badly to cry. But she never cried, so she held her tears back.  
  
"Oh no you don't, you can't forget about me." Halma said, standing up too. "I'm going anywhere that you're going. Besides, it's a slow season for woods guides anyway." She said, giving Sakura a small smile, masking the pain behind them.  
  
Sakura gave a small, sad laugh. "What would I do without you, Halma?"  
  
Halma smiled. "Nothing, you can't do anything without me, you know that."  
  
Rita stood up too. "I'm going too."  
  
Sakura turned to her. "Rita?"  
  
Rita looked down, uncertain. "I might not be very strong or anything, but I can still help a little. Besides, Tomoyo would never forgive me if I didn't go with you."  
  
Prince Amiboshi stood up next to Rita. "I'll go too."  
  
Sakura's jaw dropped. She hadn't even thought of asking him. "Your highness? (sp?)"  
  
"I have no duties here, my sister rules as queen. I know of all the legends surrounding Rayn, and no doubt my knowledge would be of some help. It is my duty to help you, and I won't take no for an answer."  
  
"But, there's no way I could ask the Prince of Seiryu to help me...."  
  
Amiboshi shrugged. "Alright then, from now on I'm not the Prince of Seiryu anymore. Just call me Amiboshi. Rita's already got it down, anyway."  
  
Rita blushed. "Sorry about that, I'm just not used to calling people by their titles.."  
  
Now it was Tirak's turn to stand up. "Don't forget me." He slapped Biret on the back. "What have you gotten yourself into?" he joked.  
  
Biret smiled again. "Whatever it is, it can't be as bad as whatever you did to get Amiboshi's sword at your back."  
  
Tirak blushed. Halma turned to him. "I almost forgot about that, what was all that about?"  
  
"I kinda took one of the queen's jewels by accident and somehow managed to bring it with me into the city a while ago. I must have forgot about it when I brought you guys here, and I guess they recognized me, hehe." He laughed nervously.  
  
"You ACCIDENTLY stole the jewels?" Halma said suspiciously.  
  
"You know how these things happen.." He laughed.  
  
Amiboshi waved his hand dismissively. "As much as I hate to do this, I'll pardon your crime on one condition."  
  
Tirak looked surprised. "Sure, anything."  
  
"You must accompany us."  
  
"That's it? No problem, I was planning on coming anyway, this sounds like too much fun to pass up."  
  
Halma objected. "Oh, no, not another one of these blasted thieves! I can barely deal with one!!"  
  
Sakura looked questioningly at Amiboshi. "Why do you want him coming?"  
  
"Well, he seems to know so much about Lady Luneya already, he could come in handy. Plus I have a feeling that he knows a lot more than he's telling us."  
  
Syaoran nodded. "Fine, so we're all going then?"  
  
Everyone in the room nodded.  
  
Sakura smiled sadly. " I don't know how I'll ever thank you all."  
  
Tirak smiled. "No problem. You can reward us with all the treasure we're sure to find on our way to all these legendary places."  
  
"So, we're going to the Samara desert then?" Rita asked.  
  
"No, first we have to pay a visit to a certain Priestess....."  
  
....................................  
  
Official Mentok slammed his fists onto the hard, wooden tabletop. "YOU IDIOT!!!"  
  
Kiryk flinched and cowered back from the desk.  
  
"HOW COULD YOU LET HER GET AWAY LIKE THAT!!!"  
  
"I'm..I'm sorry but she said she didn't know his screename, and I thought she was just faking it to try and get a meeting with you."  
  
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WE DON'T KNOW THE MAN'S SCREENAME EITHER!!!!!"  
  
Kiryk nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
Official Mentok kicked at the wooden wall of his office, creating a large hole in it. He slumped back down into his chair, rubbing his temples.  
  
"Do we have any idea where she is now?" he asked, sighing angrily.  
  
"We have a couple who live a few miles from here who said they saw her get picked up by a group of travelers earlier this morning." Kiryk said.  
  
Official Mentok clenched his fist angrily. A mountain of paperwork was scattered all over his desk, all from the chaos that these four had caused him.  
  
Finally, he made a VERY reluctant decision. "We have no choice."  
  
"Sir?" Kiryk asked.  
  
Official Mentok looked back up at him. "We have to call in administration."  
  
....................................  
  
Lyana ran along the grand palace hallways, holding her long, pale purple skirts up so that she wouldn't trip.  
  
She rounded a corner and crashed into one of the servants head on, and the two of them collapsed to the ground.  
  
"Oh, shoot! I'm soooo sorry! I didn't mean to, I'm really really sorry!" Lyana apologized profusely, standing back up and offering her hand to the small servant handmaid she'd knocked over.  
  
The handmaid refused her hand and stood up herself, glaring at the girl. "Watch where you're going, brat!" she said, her voice dripping with disdain as she haughtily picked up stride and left around the corner.  
  
Lyana pulled her hand back, dusting herself off. "Nice to meet you too, jeez." She said sarcastically.  
  
Once she had herself settled again, she continued down the large hallways, this time deciding not to run and instead walk really fast, watching very carefully around each corner. She had been lucky that she had only run into an insignificant handmaid, and not somebody more important.  
  
Lyana adjusted the small, pale blue sash around her waist that marked her as a temple apprentice. She pulled back a strand of long, dark brown hair that was up in a messy ponytail.  
  
She rounded another corner before spotting the door that led to the inner rose gardens.  
  
"Ah ha! I knew I'd find them." she muttered to herself in triumph, slipping quietly through the doors.  
  
....................................  
  
"So you mean to tell me that he's with that group of wanted criminals?" Kiyuri asked exasperatedly.  
  
Kinoti glared at her. "Yes, he is. I told you, I've got this under control, I don't need help from a washed up sorceress." He grunted in irritation.  
  
Kiyuri growled with rage. "You're lucky that my mistress won't let me harm you, or else you'd be counting your last breath right now."  
  
Kinoti only snorted in response.  
  
"Fine then, we'll do it your way. I don't care how you do it, just find the prophet!" she bit out.  
  
Kinoti turned back to what he was doing. "Don't worry, I'll find him."  
  
....................................  
  
JEEZ!!! This chapter took me five hours to write!!!!!! That's ridiculous. I guess I'm lucky I enjoy writing so much, or else I'd never be able to spend an entire weekend updating on these long chapters.  
  
Anyway, I know that there are a lot of people in this story, and it can be very confusing. I promise it'll all clear up later, it's supposed to be confusing at this point in the story, and it's like a mystery you're supposed to figure out. For right now, just make sure you know who the main characters are, like the people with Sakura and the people with Eriol. That's really all you have to think about.  
  
I also know that there wasn't much happening in this chapter, or in the last chapter, and I'm sorry about that. In other chapters there will be PLENTY of romance and action, I just have to set up the situation first. Hopefully by next chapter we'll have something going on, okay?  
  
I'm gonna give you guys another chance to send in suggestions for Fujitaka and Sonomi's screenames, or else I'm gonna use the ones sent in to me by Yamiyumetenshi. Okay?  
  
I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please go and push that little review button to tell me what you think! Thanks, Ja Ne until the next update!  
  
~Vixie. 


	9. The Sweetest Garden

Ohayo, all my wonderful readers! I'm back with chapter 9 of REAL LOVE IS JUST A DREAM. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, but here it is.  
  
I always have so much fun writing fantasy like this. I hope you all enjoy reading it too.  
  
BTW: on the last chapter, I kinda did the scene where Sakura asks everyone for help a little hastily, so I went back and rewrote it a little, but there really isn't a lot of difference, so don't worry about rereading it.  
  
Okay, time to reward the revierwers.  
  
White Blossoms - I LOVED your suggestions for the screenames! They were extremely creative and original, so I will definitely at least use one of them. Thanks a lot for sending them in. I'm glad that you like the story, and I hope you enjoy this update. Please review again when you're done, enjoy^^.  
  
Sweet-captor -hehe, yeah, the last chapter was really wordy. I couldn't help it though, I had to explain a lot of things or else it would have been too confusing, not that it isn't confusing now, lol. Enjoy this chapter!  
  
AnimeObsessionFantasy -thanks for all the constant reviews! I'm sorry it was so long, but I can never stop when I start writing this story, hehe. I'm so glad it was worth it, and I hope this one is too. Hope you like it! ^_^  
  
White Fox 612 - Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad that it doesn't seem like I'm copying .Hack//Sign, just using the basis. I always hope that my stories are somewhat original. Don't worry, I don't plan on quitting any time soon. Thank you soo much for the praise on my writing skill, that means a lot to me. I'll email you too like you asked when I get this chapter uploaded...  
  
Wezl - Thanks so much for the review! I hope you like this update. Enjoy!  
  
Lilvietdevilgrl - I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL I WILL, oh, I mean, I DID I DID I DID. Here it is. Hope you like it ^_^  
  
Thanks to all my loyal reviewers, I don't know what I would do without you.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the CCS characters. Certain ideas and basis settings were inspired by the anime .Hack//Sign. Other imagery ideas taken from Fushigi Yugi, Inuyasha, and Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. The rest of it is all mine!!!! MINE!!  
  
This story is getting thoroughly complicated, and I love to give hints and bring them back later in my stories, but it confuses people, so here's a list of things to remember in this story, you may have to go back and reread some chapters: The jasper-eyed woman that Syaoran saw when he was little. His mom said that she was an 'Angel of the Light'. Remember that.  
  
Six of Rayn's followers are dead, plus her and the man she loved. That leaves five followers. Three are oracles, one is Lady Luneya, and the other had disappeared. Also, remember that only four of her followers were human, including the man she loved.  
  
Fujitaka obtained the Double-bladed Ran Kodachi's from the Angels of the Light and gave it to Sakura, without it's central blade, the Saotian Saber. She wants to sell it to pay for surgery to cure her. Also, remember, Fujitaka works for the mysterious 'administrators' of Ch'ien.  
  
Star Blossom, (Masaya, Kiran's little sister) somehow knows Biret. Biret is a former bandit under a man named Kinoti. Also, and I doubt ANYBODY remembers this, in the first chapter, Sakura said that a band of renowned outlaws guards the Saotian Saber. Take note of that.  
  
Sakura found out about her disease three years ago, the same time that  
Mtayna, the priestess of water, disappeared.  
  
Since there are a lot of things to remember, I'm gonna add a  
character/story hint list to this story as chapter 10. I've already  
written it, so I'll put it up after I get this chapter up. Sorry it's  
not a new chapter, just sort of a guide to the story, I guess.  
  
Oh, and to all my Abandoned readers, I'll have the new chapter of that  
story up tomorrow, promise.  
  
Okay, here we go with chapter 9. I hope ya all enjoy it.  
  
.....................................  
  
"DAMN ERUFU! Out of my way!"  
  
Lyana was shoved roughly out of the servants way, sending her toppling to the ground.  
  
(A/N: 'erufu' means 'elf' in Japanese. If you can't already tell, Lyana is an elf)  
  
The servant lifted his chin disdainfully and stalked off toward the castle.  
  
Lyana slowly managed to stand up again. "Ouch" she flinched when she felt the pain of a cut on her shoulder from the rose bush she had fallen into.  
  
A tear threatened to escape Lyana's clear blue eyes. She hadn't been called an 'erufu' for a while.  
  
'I guess it'll never end' she thought despondently. She settled her skirts around her and lifted her chin, determined not to let it affect her too much.  
  
'I am a Temple Priestess in training, I cannot let others degrade me like that.' She thought proudly. Suddenly she remembered the reason for coming to the inner gardens.  
  
"Right, I've got to find my sister, she's got to listen to me this time..." she muttered to herself, setting off in the direction of the grove in the middle of the maze of walkways, flowers, trees, and benches that made up the Royal Gardens.  
  
Eventually, she came to a large, wooden archway that marked the exit to the gardens.  
  
Lyana wanted to cry. She'd been walking around in circles! And for almost an hour! She clenched her fist, only glad that her instructor hadn't been there to scold her for her bad sense of direction.  
  
She sighed, considering asking someone for help, when she heard voices approaching. Without thinking, Lyana immediately leaped behind one of the larger bushes and hid among the foliage, settling her breath as she watched a man and a woman approaching the gardens.  
  
'Now what have I gotten myself into?.......'  
  
.....................................  
  
Syaoran and Sakura weren't talking. The two of them entered the gardens in mute silence, scanning the area for some kind of sign of life to ask where the Lady Luneya might be.  
  
The eight of them had split up to try and find Lady Luneya to question her about the ultimate Rayna Weapon. Amiboshi's servants had no idea where she was, and the castle was a big place, so they'd decided to make better time by dividing areas of the castle.  
  
Syaoran, Sakura, and Kero were assigned to the gardens.  
  
The sound of the wind rustling the roses and the padding of Kero's paws against the soft grass was the only sound echoing through their ears, with the rush of thoughts in their heads accompanying it.  
  
Syaoran was still desperately trying to deny the fact that Sakura might actually be dying in the real world. More importantly, he was trying to decide why he seemed to feel so strongly about it.  
  
Sakura was doing almost the same thing, trying to figure out the intelligence of announcing her mortality to the group, and why she had felt so torn when Syaoran had said that he wanted to come with her.  
  
The two were awfully familiar with the tension flowing between them, but neither of them had courage enough to speak, so the silence remained, with only an occasional whine from Kero.  
  
As they approached the archway that led to the gardens, Syaoran suddenly felt a pair of eyes on them. His amber eyes scanned the area quickly, but found nothing. Syaoran shook his head softly, trying to get his mind to stop playing tricks on him.  
  
'argghh. I can't think with all of this on my mind. I'm starting to see things. Better if I just ignore it all for now, and concentrate on something else.' He thought.  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura had also thought that the feeling of being watched was only a figment of her imagination. She clenched her teeth. 'This is no good, I can't keep stressing over things like this, I'd better try and distract myself from it.'  
  
Lyana watched the two people standing there, not saying a word meters in front of her. She frowned in confusion. What were these idiots doing? Just standing around, their eyes caught up in their own thoughts. Even the dog was quiet. It was almost tangible how awkward and tense the air around them was.  
  
Finally, Syaoran and Sakura decided to try and end the silence at the same time.  
  
"Do you think we're..." they both started out in unison, their voices fading as they realized they were both speaking.  
  
"You first" Syaoran said.  
  
Sakura shook her head, "No, that's okay, you go first"  
  
The two of them were silent again. Lyana sweatdropped. These two were pathetic. It was PAINFULLY obvious that they liked each other. She hated it when people refused to see what was right in front of them.  
  
Finally Syaoran swallowed his doubt for a minute. "I just get the feeling that we're being watched."  
  
Sakura almost smiled at the final break in the silence. She nodded emphatically, eager for the both of them to forget the details of the earlier conversation.  
  
"I do too, but I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me." Sakura replied.  
  
Syaoran took another glance around them. "Well, I guess both of our minds are playing tricks, then. It doesn't seem like anyone's around." But Syaoran's wariness didn't ease.  
  
Lyana bit her lip worriedly, hoping they wouldn't see her.  
  
Sakura was still eager for conversation, so she went on. "Do you think this is the entrance to the gardens?"  
  
Syaoran nodded. "looks like it. Tirak said that her handmaids were constantly seen in the groves in the middle of the Inner Gardens. If we can find one of them without alerting the guards, we might be able to find her. Amiboshi said that if the guards found us, then Lady Luneya would know we were looking for her, and we'd never be able to find her."  
  
Lyana's apprehension grew immediately. Were they talking about her sister?  
  
"I guess Tirak should know, he seems to get a lot of his information from her handmaids." Sakura continued.  
  
Syaoran nodded, silent for a moment. Then, he continued. "Do you think that he was telling the truth? About the Kodachi's coming from the Angels of the Light?"  
  
Sakura considered it. "Well, I at least believe that Tirak believes it's the truth. But, who knows, maybe the handmaids were misleading him on purpose." She took one of the Kodachi's out to inspect it for a moment. "Then again, I don't even know much about these things myself."  
  
Syaoran studied the twin water dragon carving along the silver hilt. "You got these from your father, right?"  
  
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, when I first found out that I could live in Ch'ien without..well, that I could live in Ch'ien, my father gave me these weapons. He told me that they'd 'give me the hope that I was missing'."  
  
Syaoran sidestepped the awkward issue of Sakura not being able to really live in the real world. "How did your father get them?"  
  
"That's just it, I honestly have no idea. He's always told me that he works for the Ch'ien administrators, though I don't exactly know what he does. Everytime I asked him about where he received the blades, he just smiled and wouldn't say anything. Finally I just stopped asking him, I guess."  
  
Syaoran nodded. The silence returned between them, and they started forward again, following a small, dirt path that seemed to be deserted. Lyana silently followed them, slipping in among the shadows of the lush vegetation.  
  
After a few minutes, Sakura smiled to herself and said to no one in particular, "My father has always been a mystery to me."  
  
Syaoran looked at her, but said nothing, content just to keep on walking beside her and listen.  
  
"Sometimes, when I was little," she went on, "I would spy on him, but he always knew I was there. He never let me know, though. Instead, he'd make it a game for me, and make me chase him all over the house." She said sadly, her eyes deep within her own memories.  
  
"Every time I thought I'd found him, he was gone, but he'd leave me little presents around the house, like a scavenger hunt, until I'd found him. Then he'd always reward me and we'd go for ice cream." She kept on going, desperate to stop herself from talking, and yet unable to stop.  
  
Syaoran was still silent, listening quietly.  
  
"Even after..even after he found out about my..disease...he'd still try everything he could to cheer me up. He even brought me ice cream every day. I, .I felt so bad. My dad was always smiling, but I could tell that he was really sad, and it broke my heart that I was the one who caused it. Even my brother seemed to become miserable. I just couldn't take it anymore..That's why I came here, I guess." She finished, tears threatening to spill out, but they never did.  
  
Syaoran refrained from the urge to put his hand around her waist comfortingly and instead looked up at the blue sky above them. He finally answered for Sakura's sake, though it was difficult to get the lump out of his throat.  
  
"I used to think Ch'ien was stupid. I thought it was just a place for cowards to escape the harsh cruelty of reality. I never thought of it as an actual place, just as a distraction."  
  
Sakura listened quietly, extremely grateful to him for talking, even if it was just for the comfort of the sound of his voice.  
  
"But, Ch'ien's more than that, I guess. It's actually a home, for a lot of people, isn't it?" Syaoran observed.  
  
Sakura nodded. "I've always thought of it as a second chance," she said quietly. "A second chance to rectify what was done to the real world. Here, we can create another world, but this time we can appreciate it. Everyone deserves a second chance, I think."  
  
Syaoran looked at the small girl in front of him. This little, innocent girl who never cried, who had saved his life, who saw the good in everyone, and who never seemed to give up hope. Her strength was amazing to him. He almost was in awe of her, of what a beautiful person she was.  
  
Not only that, but the bright sunlight above them caused dappled shadows from the trees above to play along the contours of her face. Her deep, emerald eyes were warm and inviting, and her small, pink lips were almost irresistible.  
  
Syaoran didn't even bother shaking the thoughts from his head this time, knowing it was completely useless. Even he wasn't this stupid, he could tell that he was completely and head over heels in love with her.  
  
Normally, he would have scolded himself for such feelings, but now, today, in the bright sunlight with her, it just seemed pointless to deny it, and all he wanted to do was to erase the distressing memories replaying through her thoughts from her mind.  
  
Sakura watched Syaoran's amber eyes suddenly look at her with such feeling that she almost felt like fainting. Her whole body responded, and, abruptly, all of the self-pity that she had been wallowing in only seconds before was dashed away, replaced with a deep warmth in the bottom of her soul.  
  
It was all she could do to keep from kissing him. She was immediately surprised at such thoughts coming from her, and a deep blush stained her cheeks.  
  
Unaware of it, the two of them had slowly gotten closer to each other. Kero had wandered off, busily inspecting a large juniper bush and sniffing an unfamiliar smell. The two of them were too caught up in their own feelings to notice.  
  
Lyana's cheeks were red as she realized what she might be witnessing, but soon her shame was replaced with panic as Kero suddenly discovered her location.  
  
Surprisingly enough, though, Kero didn't bark, as he usually would have. Instead, he stuck his head behind the bush and butted her, eagerly sniffing the new scent.  
  
Lyana smiled and scratched him quickly behind the ears. "ssshhh" she muttered quietly under her breath, lifting a finger to her mouth to signal him to be quiet.  
  
She almost laughed at herself. 'As if he knows what that means' she thought.  
  
Kero stayed quiet though, content to stay where he was and continue allowing Lyana to scratch him behind the ears.  
  
Lyana's attention was suddenly drawn when she heard the crunch of a pair of boots along the path behind them. The guards! If they discovered the two of them just wandering around, they'd be questioned as to why they were here, and her sister would realize she was being searched for. Then she'd never find her sister! Her sister could never be found if she wanted it that way...  
  
Sakura and Syaoran heard it too, but there was no place to hide. Sakura suddenly had an idea, but just the thought of it made her bite her lip and clench her fist. She desperately looked around them for a solution, but there was nothing.  
  
She gulped. 'Here goes nothing.' She thought.  
  
Syaoran was desperately trying to think of a solution when Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him into the corner between two large birch trees.  
  
"I'm sorry for this." She said quickly before pressing up against him and kissing him.  
  
Syaoran's eyes widened, but he didn't pull away. After a moment his eyes closed.  
  
.....................................  
  
"Why over here?" he asked his partner.  
  
His partner shrugged. "I thought I heard some people talking over here a few minutes ago. Let's just check it out, okay?"  
  
The first man sighed. "Fine, alright."  
  
The pair of them rounded a corner and were welcomed with the site of Syaoran and Sakura huddled in a corner, absorbed in each other.  
  
The two men looked at each other and nodded, smiling. They turned around and left the way they had came.  
  
"Told you there was nothing to worry about," the first man said, "just two young people trying to escape from prying eyes. You remember what that's like, eh Triet?" he winked.  
  
Triet nodded and smiled. "Of course, I used to escape to the gardens all the time with Varuna when we were younger!" he winked back, and the two of them laughed, their voices fading as they left the area.  
  
.....................................  
  
A rush of warmth coursed through Sakura as she reveled in the kiss. Her tongue wound around his eagerly, despite the fact that the voices of the guards had long since disappeared.  
  
Syaoran's hands had slipped to her waist, holding her to him. His mind was a blank, and he was only aware of savoring the feel of her lips against his.  
  
(A/N: hehe, I don't want to get too graphic, lol, in case there's kids reading..)  
  
After a few moments, Sakura slowly, achingly pulled away, only for lack of air. But as soon as their lips parted, the full implications of what they had just done hit the both of them.  
  
The two of them remained close together, each breathing heavily as they just stared into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what had just happened.  
  
Syaoran's hands remained around her waist. Sakura's pulse was racing, and she managed to whisper to him.  
  
"I'm..sorry...about that."  
  
Syaoran didn't answer, or rather, couldn't answer, his mind was racing too fast. The two of them just stood staring at each other.  
  
The temptation was too much, and the both of them brushed their lips together a second time, this time deliberately.  
  
Syaoran could scarcely believe how much he wanted her. The kiss sent sparks of pleasure through his veins, and he never wanted to stop.  
  
Sakura eagerly pressed up against him, forgetting everything that had been on her mind only moments before. All that mattered was Syaoran's arms around her.  
  
When the two of them pulled away this time, Sakura couldn't help it any longer. She smiled, one of her rare, true smiles at him.  
  
Syaoran couldn't resist, and gave her another quick kiss, grinning.  
  
Sakura leaned forward so that her forehead touched his, closing her eyes.  
  
"Wow" she whispered.  
  
Syaoran smiled. "That's all you can say?" he whispered back.  
  
She bit back a laugh. "yes, that's all I can say."  
  
"I've been waiting to do that ever since I first met you." Syaoran muttered.  
  
Sakura grinned. "Liar."  
  
"It's true, I swear." He said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.  
  
Sakura leaned forward, resting her head up against his chest. She was about to reply, when suddenly her blood ran cold, and her eyes widened.  
  
Syaoran immediately noticed the change in her. He pulled away a little to get a better look at her. "Sakura? What's wrong?"  
  
(A/N: haha, they just kissed and they still don't even know each other in real life, lol)  
  
Sakura looked up at him and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Suddenly, the world went dark and Sakura fainted. She would have fallen to the ground if not for Syaoran's arms around her.  
  
"Sakura? Sakura?! Sakura, wake up! Wake up!" he yelled, shaking her shoulders gently as he held her.  
  
But Sakura didn't wake up. Her thoughts flew away from her, and all the world around her suddenly became lost in shadow, Syaoran's voice fading from her mind.  
  
.....................................  
  
'Argghhh. My head..Where am I?'  
  
As Sakura's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she managed to sit up. After a few minutes her vision cleared, despite the aching headache she was suffering from. For a moment she was scared that she had woken up in K'un and was in her bed again, but there was no incessant beeping from the heart monitor.  
  
Sakura lifted her head and was relieved to find that she still seemed to be in Ch'ien. But, she was no longer in the inner gardens with Syaoran.  
  
She had woken up in a small grove of cherry blossoms. A large, stone tower peaked out from above the treetops. She could immediately tell that she wasn't even in Seiryu City anymore, the climate was too warm and tropic.  
  
It was then that she noticed that she wasn't alone. A few feet from her, a woman who looked eerily familiar was standing with her back turned to her, her red hair waving out behind her in the wind.  
  
The red-haired young woman was facing a man standing a little farther from them, across the grove. The man's jet black hair was covered in bits and pieces of leaves and twigs, and a big smile was on his face as he gazed lovingly at the red-haired woman.  
  
The oddest part though, was that neither of them seemed to notice her.  
  
Sakura managed to stand up, and was surprised to find that neither one of them looked at her. She even stepped up to touch the red-haired woman on the shoulder, but her hand passed right through her.  
  
Shivers ran through Sakura as her mind immediately thought, "GHOST!!!"  
  
'But,' she thought, 'I thought ghosts were supposed to look scarier than this. These two look just like ordinary people.'  
  
'Oh no!! Maybe I'm a ghost!! Maybe I finally died...but,.how come I still feel so alive? And if I had died, wouldn't I be in heaven? Where are all the angels and things like that? Wait, what if I'm in the other place? But, then there'd be demons and things like that..so, then where the heck am I?'  
  
Her thoughts were immediately interrupted when the red-haired woman grinned and spoke.  
  
"You look like a kid whose just been chasing out game." She laughed, walking towards him.  
  
His grin grew wider. "Ah, but you should know by now that I really am a kid in disguise."  
  
She reached up and plucked a leaf out of his hair. "How am I supposed to present you at the banquet tonight with leaves in your hair?" she giggled.  
  
The man threw his arms around her waist and lifted her up off of the ground, kissing her soundly. Sakura blushed, looking down. The two of them seemed completely oblivious to her presence.  
  
When the man let her down, she lifted up her hand and stroked his cheek with her thumb softly.  
  
"Am I acceptable now?" he asked playfully.  
  
She smiled. "I don't know," she teased, "I think I'm going to have to check one more time."  
  
He grinned. "Your wish is my command." and kissed her again.  
  
Sakura's cheeks were burning red, but she smiled to herself. Whoever these two were, they seemed to love each other deeply.  
  
The red-haired woman pulled away first, catching her breath. "C'mon, Ruko, we've got to get back to the tower. Felena will be waiting for us."  
  
"They can wait." he said, bending his head back down to her lips.  
  
The red-haired woman reluctantly pulled away again. "Ruko..don't tempt me like that." she laughed. "you know I can't resist you, but I have to get back there, they need me."  
  
Ruko smiled. "Ah, c'mon Rayn.you won't be missed this soon.."  
  
A jolt of realization hit Sakura like a ton of bricks.  
  
'Did he just say 'Rayn'?' she thought. Suddenly, she realized why the woman looked so familiar. She was in every book, statue, and picture around in Ch'ien! But, this made no sense, Rayn was dead! Then again, nobody named their kids Rayn anymore in respect for her.so who else could it be?  
  
Rayn pulled away from Ruko again. "Ruko.please" she started to plead.  
  
Ruko sighed. "alright, you win. Let's go back then."  
  
Rayn smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "We'll make up for it later, I promise."  
  
He smiled. "Alright, but I always expect people to keep their promises, you know."  
  
Rayn nodded, taking his hand and leading him towards a path that led out of the grove in the direction of the tower.  
  
"I have something to give to you tonight anyway, something I've made for all of my disciples."  
  
Ruko looked interested. "You mean you've finished the weapons already?"  
  
Rayn nodded. Then, she hesitated a moment before pulling a large sheath out from beneath her cloak. The sheath itself was decorated with three dragons, two with water and one with fire.  
  
Sakura almost fainted again when she realized what it was. It was the Saotian Saber and the Double-bladed Ran Kodachi's, combined!!!  
  
"This one will be yours." She said confidentially. "It's different from the others, but I know you'll use it well." She smiled.  
  
Ruko reached for the sheath eagerly, but Rayn pulled it out of his reach.  
  
"Ah ah! Not yet, you've got to wait until tonight." She scolded playfully.  
  
Ruko looked somewhat disappointed, but quickly covered it up with a grin. "I'm surprised you didn't put a snake on the sheath, just like you were always teasing me that you would."  
  
Rayn grinned. "I thought about it, but I wouldn't be that mean.Hebi."  
  
(A/N: 'Hebi' means snake in Japanese)  
  
Ruko almost flinched. "C'mon Rayn, don't call me that."  
  
She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I still haven't told anyone your real name. Now come on, we've already stalled too much, let's go."  
  
The two of them left the grove, leaving a stunned Sakura in the grove. Sakura's heart was filled with such pity and compassion that she wished with all her heart she could tell Rayn who this man was.  
  
Hebi Ruko. The snake. No one in her Ch'ien knew his name, but she always had. Her father had told her one day, the same day that he'd given her the Kodachi's. This was the man who would break Rayn's heart, who would become corrupted and end up trying to destroy everything and everyone that Rayn loved, and who would force Rayn to sacrifice her life just to save her own people.  
  
Sakura had always felt an affinity for the fiery red-head who had created the beautiful world that Sakura cherished. The poor, brave girl!  
  
'She looks about my age! And she had to die so young.it's not fair' she thought.  
  
A blue glow from underneath her cloak caught her glance from the corner of her eyes. She lifted one of the Kodachi's out of it's sheath and was surprised to find that it's dragon carving was glowing blue.  
  
Somehow, Sakura knew that Rayn had brought her here. Rayn was trying to show Sakura something, trying to tell her something. How she knew this, Sakura couldn't even guess, but her heart never lied.  
  
'What? What is it you're trying to tell me? I don't know what you want me to do!' she thought.  
  
There was no answer except for the rustle of the breeze in the trees. Suddenly, the world went dark again and Sakura fell to the ground.  
  
.....................................  
  
Sakura was awakened by a relentless moistness covering her face.  
  
"Kero! Get off of her!" she heard Syaoran's voice as he pulled the gray mutt off of her.  
  
"Syaoran? Is that you?" she mumbled, opening her eyes slowly.  
  
Syaoran was immediately at her side. "Sakura! Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
Sakura was stopped from answering when a young girl who looked to be about 14 years old kneeled down beside her. The strange thing, though, was that this girl had pointed ears!  
  
"Here, drink this, it'll make your headache go away." She said, holding out a small vial of clear liquid.  
  
Sakura was about to ask why she should trust her, but something in the girls eyes told her that she was sincere. She took the vial.  
  
"Uh, thank you. I'm sorry, but, um, who are you?"  
  
Lyana blushed and looked down at her lap. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. My name is Lyana. I'm a Temple Apprentice, basically a healer-in-training. I, uh, saw you when you fainted and came over to help."  
  
Syaoran frowned and glared at the girl. "She was hiding behind the juniper bush with Kero when you fainted."  
  
Sakura immediately blushed when she realized that this girl had most likely seen EVERYTHING that had gone on between the two of them.  
  
Sakura uncorked the vial and slowly drank the small amount of liquid. After a few moments, her headache disappeared completely. She handed the empty vial back to the girl.  
  
"Thank you, that feels much better. But how did you know I had a headache?"  
  
Lyana smiled sheepishly. "All good healers know what their patients are feeling without even asking."  
  
"You must be a very good healer then,"  
  
Lyana shook her head almost immediately. "Oh, no, I'm really not. I'm always making mistakes, my instructors are always scolding me."  
  
Sakura felt bad for this girl, she seemed like she was trying her best. She knew that Syaoran probably resented her for what she'd seen, and she could only imagine what had gone on while she was unconscious.  
  
Suddenly, she remembered Amiboshi saying something about the fact that Lady Luneya wasn't EXACTLY human, but he wouldn't say anything more than that. Maybe this is what he meant.  
  
"Um, excuse me, but, if you don't mind me asking, why are your ears pointed like that?"  
  
Lyana blushed profusely, but she couldn't refuse to answer when she was so polite about it.  
  
"Oh, well,.I'm not really a human. I'm an elf." She bit her lip shamefully.  
  
Sakura could tell that it was an awkward subject, so she tried not to push it. Sakura sat up straighter, Syaoran's hand still holding her back.  
  
"Well, actually, maybe you could help us. We're kind of looking for someone, who, well, might be an elf like you."  
  
Lyana knew they were looking for her sister. She was reluctant to tell them about her, but, at the same time, these two people had been nicer to her than anyone had ever been to her. Even after the fact that she had told them she was an elf and after they'd found out that she'd been spying.  
  
She had half expected to be kicked out of the city when she was discovered, but she couldn't help trying to help. And even though the man had been reluctant to forgive her, he was at least polite and civil when he found out that she was a healer.  
  
There was something about these two that she could trust, she knew.  
  
"Yes, I know who you're looking for." Lyana said.  
  
"You do? But how?" Sakura asked.  
  
Lyana blushed again, "well, I kinda over heard you talking about her. It's Lady Luneya, isn't it?"  
  
Sakura and Syaoran nodded.  
  
Lyana sighed before going on. "Lady Luneya is my older sister."  
  
.....................................  
  
Okay, well, that's it for chapter 9. I'm sorry that the entire chapter was about Sakura and Syaoran, but they finally kissed!!!! And that deserved an entire chapter, lol. Next chapter I'll get back to everyone else.  
  
Anyway, what'd you all think? Was the whole kissing thing too hasty? Or was it done too little in detail? Too much in detail?  
  
One of my weak points in writing is timing and generally, romance scenes. I love to read them but I'm not the best at writing them, so I'd appreciate some feedback here about whether or not it was done well or not. If not, I can always go back and rewrite it using your advice. So go review, please!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Also, I'm going to add a Reader's Guide update as chapter 10 to this. It won't be an update, it'll just be a list of stuff to help the readers get through the story, and I'll add to it as the story progresses, so I hope that helps.  
  
So go review and tell me what you think! I'll try to update as soon as possible. Ja ne!  
  
~Vixie 


	10. Reader's Guide

Hey everyone! I'm sorry, but this is not an update. I must apologize to you all, I have gone overboard on this story, and now it is thoroughly confusing, but I couldn't help it. In other epic stories, I will keep this in mind and try not to do it again, but I can't rewrite this one, so here's a list of characters, screenames, and other items of importance to help you all out. I hope it's appreciated.  
  
Here ya go; the REAL LOVE IS JUST A DREAM, Reader's Guide.  
  
Character list and screenames;  
  
Sakura Kinomoto - Cherry Blossom  
  
Syaoran Li - Little Wolf  
  
Mei Lin - Ruby Tora  
  
Tomoyo - Amethyst Blade  
  
Touya - Knighted Guardian  
  
Meriko - SunSpeaker  
  
Ayna - Cherry Guardian  
  
Eriol - Clow Shadow  
  
Chiharu - Chiharu Hitte Chi  
  
Yamazaki - Masked Prophet  
  
Yukito - Lunaris Rabbit  
  
Rita - Star Saber  
  
Naoko - Mything Dragon  
  
Feimei - Cerulean Tears  
  
Fanren - Bouncing Rabbit  
  
Xiefa - Light Arrow  
  
Fuutie - (None, as of yet)  
  
Halma - Crimson Heart  
  
Kiran - SwordSoul  
  
Masaya (Kiran's sister) - Star Blossom  
  
Biret - (Unknown)  
  
Tirak - (Unknown)  
  
??? - Prince Amiboshi, Seiryu Royal Family  
  
??? - Official Mentok, 1st Division of Rayn's Knights  
  
??? - Officer Kiryk  
  
Fujitaka - Ancient Warrior  
  
Sonomi - Amber Revenge  
  
Kiyuri - Chaos Bara (A/N; 'bara' means 'rose' in Japanese)  
  
Lyana - Starlit Hope  
  
Currency  
  
1 silver cara - (U.S is $1.30 in dollars)  
  
5 caras - 1 silver hania 2 hanias or 10 caras - 1 gold shan 2 copper ratas - 1 cara  
  
The Divinity, Rayna, and the Rayna Weapons  
  
Rayn (last name unknown) - other names include, Phoenix Goddess, Creator,  
Flamed Warrior, Immortal Spirit, etc.  
  
created Ch'ien to imitate the world before a huge nuclear war destroyed most of it Ch'ien is 'Heaven' in Chinese K'un is 'Earth' in Chinese Created the 12 Rayna Weapons  
  
12 Followers, six men, six women. Four humans, Four elves, two dragons, one harpy, and one griffon (part eagle, part lion).  
  
Six followers were killed when one of Rayn's followers, the one she fell in love with, Hebi Ruko, destroyed them to take their legendary weapons.  
  
Rayn sacrificed her life to destroy her love, known in prophecy as the Snake.  
  
Now, only five followers left, each with one elemental power.  
  
a. The Cerulean Priestess of Water, Mtayna (human)  
b. The Shadow Priestess of Darkness, Luneya (elf)  
c. The Winged Priestess of the Wind, Karana (harpy) (A/N: a harpy is  
half woman, half bird)  
d. The Fertile Priestess of the Earth, Rowena (elf)  
e. The Sun Priestess of the Light, Ayrita (human).  
- Rayn's greatest weapon was the combination of the Saotian Saber (the fire phoenix  
blade) and the Double-bladed Ran Kodachi's (the twin water dragon swords).  
  
The Four Great Cities of Ch'ien  
  
Seiryu City (the dragon).  
-next to the Rada'Han Mts. Contains the Seiryu Royal Family, including  
Prince Amiboshi and his sister, the queen.  
- second largest of the Four Cities  
b. Byako City  
-smallest of the Four Cities, home to the Desert Wanderers  
c. Genbu City  
-City of Deceit, third largest of the Four Cities  
d. Suzaku City  
- Largest of the Four Cities, grandest, most majestic, contains Temple of Rayna and  
Disciples Portal (home of the Oracles) as well as the Headquarters of the  
Administrators. (where Fujitaka supposedly works)  
  
Other Characters  
  
Kinoti - leader of the bandits, wanted in every region and city  
  
Kiyuri - somewhat loyal follower of The Shadow Priestess, dark sorceress.  
  
Lyana - younger sister to the Shadow Priestess, (but she's a good person), apprentice temple priestess.  
  
Mission Sakura and co are trying to find the Saotian Saber, traveling to Suzaku city to find out more about the Rayna Weapons, then on to Rayn's Tower to find the weapon itself.  
  
Current Positions  
  
Sakura, Syaoran, Rita, Amiboshi, Biret, Tirak, Halma, and Kero are all together, heading towards the pass behind Seiryu City. Tomoyo, Eriol, Kiran, Masaya, and Mei Lin are hot on the trail to following Sakura and co, although they're headed toward the wrong pass. Official Mentok, Officer Kiryk, and all of them are contacting the mysterious 'Administrators'. Kiyuri and Kinoti are trying to find the mysterious prophet. Lady Luneya is trying to find the Rayn Stones with the prophecy on them. Here's part of the prophecy;  
  
The one with whom no hope is destined shall carry  
the hope of all  
Humanity within the gifts of long past.  
  
But without the strength of heart, the phoenix  
cannot emerge from it's  
Ashes, and all will fall to the shadows of a  
weakened soul, all relies on  
The maiden of fire, who must seek the ancient  
prophet to succeed.  
  
Hopefully this will clear some things up, and if it doesn't, well, then,  
.  
  
I'M REALLY SORRY FOR MAKING IT ALL SO CONFUSING!!!  
  
I'll add to this guide thing as the story goes on.  
  
Hehe, okay. I hope you liked chapter 9. Now go review!!!  
~Vixie 


End file.
